Israelis honour Trump as hostages return home two years after their capture

13/10/2025 7:32

U.S. President Donald Trump will receive a hero's welcome in Israel's parliament on Monday as a fragile Gaza ceasefire he helped to broker enters a fourth day, with the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners marking tentative steps in a conflict long resistant to resolution.



Trump's Knesset speech follows two years of war sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people in Israel with 251 taken hostage. Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have since devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, the enclave's health officials say.



"The war is over," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began his flight from Washington to Israel. Asked about prospects for the region, he said: "I think it's going to normalize."



The U.N. said humanitarian aid was ramping up, with cooking gas entering for the first time since March and expanded food and medical deliveries.