Posted on Monday, October 13, 2025
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by Shane Harris
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3 Comments
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In what will surely go down as one of President Donald Trump’s signature foreign policy triumphs, the final Israeli hostages held by Hamas were released on Monday as part of a sweeping ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal he personally helped broker.
Following the prisoner exchange, Trump addressed the Israeli Knesset and hailed the breakthrough as a turning point for peace in the Middle East. It was also another bright feather in his cap as one of the greatest peacemakers in modern history.
Under the agreement, all 20 living Israeli hostages were returned to Israeli territory just hours before Trump landed in Israel. In parallel, Israeli authorities completed the release of 1,968 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of the swap.
Even before Air Force One touched down, Trump was greeted as a hero, with a massive “THANK YOU” written out across the beach in the path of the president’s plane. In Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square,” crowds erupted in cheers. Televised scenes showed tearful family reunions in hospitals as the freed hostages were ushered into the arms of loved ones.
But the dramatic moment wasn’t just about emotion. Trump used his Knesset appearance to drive home a message of strength turned into peace. He opened his address by declaring, “The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still—and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace.”
The President repeatedly framed the deal as proof that bold American leadership can, in fact, reshape war into diplomacy. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” he told Israeli lawmakers.
In a moment that broke diplomatic norms, Trump even called on Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for alleged corruption. While some lawmakers disrupted his remarks—one holding a “Recognize Palestine” sign – those interruptions were quickly suppressed as Trump’s vision dominated the discourse.
He pressed Israel to seize the moment. “You’ve done all you can do by force of arms,” Trump asserted. “Now it is time to translate battlefield victories into peace, prosperity and stability for the region.”
The Israeli prime minister, for his part, thanked Trump for his “pivotal leadership.” He described the moment as the culmination of Israel’s two-year struggle against Hamas, declaring the country had “won all it could by force of arms.” Netanyahu’s acknowledgment underscores how central U.S. involvement – and specifically Trump’s role – was in bringing both sides to the table.
While key questions remain, particularly regarding the future of Gaza and whether Hamas will disarm, Trump’s moment in the Knesset created real hope and optimism that a new era of diplomacy has begun.
He pledged that the U.S. would help oversee reconstruction, demilitarization, and eventual governance in Gaza, and that the peace plan he introduced in September, with its 20 actionable points would guide progress forward. In Trump’s own words, “the deal is only the beginning of our sacred commitment: peace, stability, and renewed hope for generations to come.”
In the closing moments of his speech, Trump urged unity and persistence, saying that history would judge this moment as the turning point when American resolve rewrote the future of the Middle East. The Knesset rose to its feet in sustained applause that echoed through the chamber as lawmakers demonstrated their gratitude.
To the skeptics who quietly mutter doubts, Trump offered his own answer: critics will always question whether Hamas will hold up its commitments or whether Gaza can be rebuilt. But if Trump’s record shows anything, it is that he has a propensity for defying the odds.
Indeed, this moment is hardly an isolated triumph. This latest agreement builds on a string of peace achievements—agreements with Armenia and Azerbaijan, normalization deals across the Middle East, and recent breakthroughs in Africa and Asia.
For Israel, it is the restoration of hope and the end of a dark chapter. For Trump, it may well be one of the crowning achievements of his presidency. But one thing that remains clear is that today’s return of hostages is a signal that when Washington leads with boldness, even the most entrenched conflicts can find a path toward piece.
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