By Charles Pemu 
Washington/Gaza – U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a major breakthrough in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, declaring that both sides have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan that is expected to lead to the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza as early as Monday.
Speaking in a late Wednesday phone interview on Fox News, President Trump expressed confidence that the two-year-long, devastating war was finally nearing its end.
“So much is happening to get the hostages freed, and we think they’ll all be coming back on Monday, so it looks like that’s the thing, and that’ll include the bodies of the dead,” Trump told the news network.
The President’s remarks came hours after he publicly announced a 20-point peace plan following intensive, U.S.-led talks in Egypt. Under the initial phase of the agreement, the Palestinian militant group Hamas will release all hostages, both living and deceased, while Israel will pull its troops back to an agreed-upon line in the Gaza Strip.
Trump was quick to frame the deal as a seismic shift toward wider regional stability, not just a resolution for Gaza.
“This is more than Gaza, this is peace in the Middle East,” he stated, adding a surprising forecast: he believes “Iran is going to be actually a part of the whole peace situation.”
He asserted that “The world has come together around this deal,” describing it as “great for Israel, so great for Muslims, for the Arab countries, and so great for this country.”
The American leader also reiterated his hopes for the post-war reconstruction of the war-battered enclave, vowing U.S. involvement to help Gaza “reconstruct” and “stay peaceful,” with assistance from wealthy neighboring nations.
The ceasefire announcement, which has been confirmed by statements from both Israeli and Hamas officials, marks the most significant diplomatic step toward ending the conflict since it began two years ago.