US President Donald Trump is reportedly set to arrive in Israel on Monday morning to address the Knesset before departing that same day, amid the deadline for Hamas to release the hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal he helped broker, Hebrew media reported Friday.
According to Channel 12, Trump will land at Ben Gurion Airport at 9:20 a.m. and be welcomed there with a formal ceremony. Afterwards, he will head straight to the Knesset in Jerusalem to deliver a speech. The timeline is limited by the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, which begins on Monday evening.
Following his speech, Trump will head back to the airport for departure, without any further speeches or meetings, the reports said. Trump would not sleep in Israel.
If the timetable is accurate, it means Trump will not have time to stop by Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, despite an invitation by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum to speak there.
The Kan public broadcaster said that Trump was initially supposed to arrive on Sunday, but the trip was pushed off by a day due to logistical difficulties of organizing it at such short notice.
Trump was also reportedly set to first fly to Egypt, where he had been invited by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi to attend a signing of the deal.
After announcing that Israel and Hamas agreed to the “first stage” of his proposal, Trump on Thursday said he plans to leave for the Middle East on Sunday and hoped to be in Israel when the hostages are released on Monday or Tuesday.
Under the first phase, which the government ratified Thursday night, Israel will stage an initial withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas is required to release the hostages within 72 hours of the withdrawal. In exchange, Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life terms.
The IDF said it completed the withdrawal by noon on Friday, meaning the hostages would be released by noon on Monday.
Israel on Thursday began preparations for Trump’s visit, with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana extending him a formal invitation to address the parliament.
It will be Trump’s first visit to Israel since he returned to the White House in January. The visit comes as both supporters and critics of Israel’s government have heaped praise on the US president for his efforts in securing the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal.
Terror groups in Gaza still hold 47 of the 251 hostages abducted during the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. At least 25 have been confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas is also holding the remains of a soldier killed fighting in Gaza in 2014. The terror group has said it would take longer than 72 hours to return the remains of the slain hostages due to field conditions.