President Donald Trump said Thursday that “everything came together” to bring about the historic peace breakthrough in Gaza, including the U.S. missile strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in June, which he said prevented them from achieving nuclear power. The president thanked numerous countries, most notably Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for their assistance in reaching the U.S.-brokered deal, which will see in its first phase, the release of all remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of Gaza.
“The whole world has come together for this,” Trump said. “People who didn’t get along, people who didn’t like each other, neighboring countries that frankly didn’t like each other,” he added. “But now it’s … just this moment in time.”
Trump delivered remarks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, after first announcing the momentous achievement Wednesday night.
Per the agreement, Israel must withdraw its troops from most of Gaza during a 24-hour ceasefire which has already begun.
Following the ceasefire, a 72-hour clock will begin, during which Hamas must release the 20 remaining hostages who are still alive, along with the 28 who are deceased.
Trump said during his remarks Thursday that they will return to Israel on “Monday or Tuesday.”
In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, with the exception of notorious terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who will reportedly remain in Israeli custody.
“Everybody loves it,” Trump said Thursday, complimenting the media for covering the peace deal “fairly.”
“They covered it very well, they covered it very fairly,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the president for his leadership in securing the peace deal, Thursday morning, and called for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it!” Netanyahu’s office wrote on X.
During a press conference Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) praised Trump for securing “a truly historic foreign policy achievement.”
“The deal that he struck between Israel and Hamas will achieve incredible results, not just for that region, but for every peace loving people around the world, everyone around the world. He’s going to return, bring the hostages home. Two years they’ve been in captivity and now finally will be delivered home,” he said.
“He’s going to bring the hostages home. He’s going to bring peace and security back to Israel and truly lay the foundation for a lasting peace in the Middle East,” he added.
The president is also receiving accolades from political leaders of both parties, as well as other world leaders.
The president was even praised on MSNBC, which could be a first for the network.
During an appearance on “Morning Joe,” Presidential historian Jon Meacham credited Trump and his “unconventional team” for the momentous achievement.
“Even if someone with whom you disagree about 99 things, does the 100th really well, you can thank them because that’s what intellectual honesty is,” he told hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
“So all credit to President Trump and his unconventional team.” He pointed out that even if it is an unconventional team, “that’s fine, right?”
Meacham went on to share a discussion he’d once had with President GHW Bush “after something terrible had happened” in the Middle East.
“I said to the man who spent a decade dealing with this, I said, Mr. President, do think this ever gets resolved?” the historian recalled. “And he said, ‘God, I don’t know.’ That’s what one of the most experienced diplomatic presidents in American history thought! That it was an unknowable thing.”
Veteran journalist David Ignatius also appeared on “Morning Joe” Thursday to praise Trump’s diplomatic prowess.
“This war was blocked for two years! President Biden, who preceded him, was unable to find a way to stop it!” he told the the hosts.
“President Trump found that way by being tough on both sides. And you take a victory lap for sure over the next few days, but it’s deserved,” he added. “There’s no way that I can see that this would have been done without Trump’s pressure in the final hours.”
President Trump’s full remarks below: