Washington DC: US President Donald Trump will embark on a brief but high-profile diplomatic mission to Israel and Egypt on Sunday, marking a significant step in the implementation of the newly brokered Gaza Peace Plan.
According to the White House, Trump will depart Washington on Sunday afternoon and arrive in Tel Aviv early Monday morning. His first stop will be the Israeli Knesset, where he is slated to meet privately with families of hostages before delivering an address to lawmakers — his first visit to Israel since announcing the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The trip coincides with the rollout of the first phase of the Gaza Peace Plan, which outlines a framework for disarmament and stabilization in the enclave.
Following the Israel leg, Trump will travel to the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to attend a signing ceremony formalizing the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Egypt played a central role in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas after Trump unveiled his 21-point peace proposal earlier this year.
While details of the final agreement remain under wraps, officials say the Sharm el-Sheikh ceremony will serve as a symbolic milestone in the peace process. Trump is expected to spend less than seven hours in Israel and roughly three hours in Egypt before returning to Washington late Monday night.
A senior US official confirmed that around 200 American troops have already been deployed to set up a coordination center as part of the plan’s implementation. Trump’s address to the Knesset is seen as a reaffirmation of Washington’s commitment to its long-standing alliance with Israel.
The closed-door meeting with hostage families is expected to be one of the most sensitive moments of the trip, as efforts continue to secure the release of remaining captives.
Trump’s latest foray into Middle East diplomacy follows his visit to several Gulf nations earlier this year. The tightly packed itinerary underscores what officials describe as a renewed urgency among regional players to secure a durable peace after months of negotiations.
