Donald Trump departs for Middle East (AP)
US President Donald Trump on Sunday departed for a visit to Israel and Egypt, calling the trip a “very special” moment as he hailed a ceasefire and hostage release deal that he said had brought the Gaza war to an end.“This is going to be a very special time,” Trump told reporters before boarding air force one at joint base Andrews. “Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time.”Air force one took off near Washington amid light rain, with secretary of state Marco Rubio, defense secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA chief John Ratcliffe accompanying the president, according to the White House.Asked whether he was confident the conflict between Israel and Hamas was over, Trump replied, “The war is over. Okay? You understand that?”On being asked if he is confident that the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is going to hold, he says, “I think it is going to hold. There are a lot of reasons why it’s going to hold. But I think people are tired of it. It’s been centuries… I think people are tired of it”Speaking about the significance of his trip, Trump said, “This is a very special event… Everybody’s cheering at one time. That’s never happened before. Usually, if you have one cheering, the other isn’t… This is the first time everybody is amazed and they’re thrilled, and it’s an honour to be involved. We’re going to have an amazing time, and it’s going to be something that’s never happened before.”The US president is expected to attend a joint ceremony in Israel and Egypt celebrating the ceasefire deal and the release of hostages, as part of what he described as a “historic” moment for peace efforts in the Middle East.He will also chair the Gaza peace summit along with his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Iran to skips Gaza summit, cites US attacks
Iran said on Monday that neither its President Masoud Pezeshkian nor foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will attend the Gaza summit in Egypt, despite receiving a late invitation from Cairo on Sunday evening, according to state news agency IRNA. Araghchi said on X that Iranian leaders would not “engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian people and continue to threaten and sanction us,” referring to the United States. The Iranian foreign minister was alluding to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites during the 12-day conflict in June. He added that Tehran nevertheless supports any initiative “to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza” and to uphold Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has backed the Palestinian cause since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Gaza peace summit, co-chaired by Trump and al-Sisi, aims to consolidate the ceasefire and outline a political framework for Gaza’s post-war governance. More than 20 nations are expected to participate, though neither Israel nor Hamas will attend.
