President Donald Trump will depart the White House on Sunday afternoon for a high-stakes trip to Israel and Egypt following the announcement of a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas. The visit includes an address to the Israeli Knesset and a formal peace ceremony in Egypt.
Trump is set to leave at 3:30 p.m. ET, landing in Tel Aviv Monday morning. At 11:00 a.m. local time, he will address the Knesset and meet with families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Later that afternoon, he will travel to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to participate in a “Middle East Peace Ceremony.” He is expected to return to the White House shortly after midnight Tuesday.
The peace agreement, announced Wednesday via Truth Social, represents the first phase of Trump’s broader Middle East peace plan. It includes Hamas agreeing to release all Israeli hostages, both living and deceased. Trump confirmed that 20 hostages are believed to be alive, while 28 are confirmed dead.
“We’re bringing them home,” Trump said Friday. “To those parents, the dead young man is just as important as though this person were alive. It’s amazing.”
The deal announcement followed a discreet note handed to Trump by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a roundtable meeting. The note, photographed by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, read: “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”
Trump’s diplomatic success has drawn bipartisan praise. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) described it as a “major legacy moment” and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, during an Oval Office visit, called the agreement “historic,” praising Trump for what he called “almost the best of record.”
As Trump prepares to speak on the world stage and preside over a major peace ceremony, the trip is poised to mark one of the most consequential foreign policy moments of his presidency.
