US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the agreement between Israel and the terrorist Hamas is sustainable. Egypt invites German Chancellor Merz to the "celebratory ceremony".
After two years of war, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas came into effect in the Gaza Strip at noon on Friday (10.10.2025). US President Donald Trump believes that the first phase of his 20-point peace plan is on track. "I think it (the ceasefire) will be sustainable. Everyone is tired of fighting," he told reporters at the White House in Washington.
US President to address Knesset
Trump also confirmed that he will travel to Israel and Egypt on Sunday (12.10.2025). In Israel, he will deliver a speech before the parliament, the Knesset. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has officially invited Trump to this. On the online platform X he writes: "Israel awaits the president of peace."
The first phase of Trump's peace plan calls for the release of all 48 hostages held by Hamas, which is classified by many countries as a terrorist organization, within 72 hours. Only 20 of the hostages are still alive. Trump told reporters that the hostages would be released on Monday (13.10.2025).
Israel has pledged in the agreement to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including around 250 serving life sentences.
After the release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners, a second phase of negotiations should create the conditions for securing long-term peace. It is still unclear when these talks will begin. A complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, which Hamas demands, is envisaged under Trump's plan, if an international stabilization force is to take care of security in the country.
Meanwhile, many Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have begun to return to their homeland.
Festive ceremony in Egypt
The US president added at the press conference that he will meet "many" leaders in Egypt on Monday to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip. The meeting is expected to take place in Cairo.
Trump recently announced that he would travel to Egypt to attend the "official signing" of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is planning a celebratory ceremony in the coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh to mark the hard-fought agreement. Here, representatives of the warring parties and international mediators have been negotiating indirectly since last Monday (October 6, 2025).
Merz invited to Egypt
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has also invited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the ceremony. According to the presidential office in Cairo, the two politicians spoke by phone on Friday about the details of Trump's plan for Gaza.
German government sources say the Chancellor has gratefully accepted the invitation. "Concrete plans for the trip cannot be announced at this time, but a possible participation is planned."
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius noted that Merz thanked al-Sisi during the call for Egypt's mediation to end the war and praised his "good service as the host of the peace talks." "The Chancellor emphasized that Germany, together with Egypt, will work for the release of the hostages, for a sustainable ceasefire, for humanitarian aid and for the reconstruction of Gaza," Kornelius said.
Calls on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has meanwhile called on the Israeli government to allow aid to reach the estimated two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel controls all border crossings into the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean coast. "For the people in Gaza, this is a moment of survival," Martin Frick, the director of the German branch of the WFP, told the RND news network.
At the border crossings, vehicles carrying about 60,000 tons of food are waiting to enter the Gaza Strip, while about 100,000 tons of additional aid are on their way to the region. This amount could supply Gaza for about three months, if access is allowed. In the first month alone, WFP can provide about 1.6 million people with bread, flour and food./ DW
