How long is Trump in Israel for? What time is he due to leave, where is he heading to after - as US President receives standing ovation in Knesset
Donald Trump received a standing ovation as he arrived at Israel’s Knesset after Hamas released all of the 20 living Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
The US president was given a hero’s welcome as he arrived in Tel Aviv earlier this morning (Monday 13 October). Knesset speaker Amir Ohana declared that the world “needs more Trumps,” describing him as a “giant” of Jewish history.
Mr Trump will greet the families of the hostages in Jerusalem before flying to a “peace summit” in Egypt's Sharm-el Sheikh, where his ceasefire deal will be signed. According to reports, Trump’s stay in Israel is very short - about three hours 40 minutes.
He is expected to depart Israel around 1:00 p.m. local time (having arrived around 9:20 a.m). After Israel, he is scheduled to go to Egypt for a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh involving more than 20 countries to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and broader Middle East peace plans.
In Egypt Trump is expected to co-chair the Gaza peace summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The goal is to solidify the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and to push forward the implementation of Trump’s proposed peace plan for Gaza.
The summit is also expected to include a signing ceremony of the peace deal between the guarantor parties (e.g. U.S., Egypt, Qatar, Turkey). It comes after Hamas has released all 20 remaining living hostages as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummelled the Gaza Strip, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Under the deal, Israel will release more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and allow food and aid supplies into Gaza. Hamas released 13 remaining living hostages to Red Cross officials on Monday, the Israeli military said.
Seven of the hostages were released earlier on Monday, while the remaining 13 were freed a few hours later. The 20, all men, are being reunited with their families and expected to undergo medical checks.