Trump Calls Gaza Deal ‘One Of The Biggest Days Ever In Civilization’ in Press Conference

Standing beside Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the White House, US President Donald Trump declared it “a big big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the biggest days ever in civilization.”

“Things that have been going on for hundreds of years, and thousands of years, we’re at least at a minimum very, very close and we’re beyond very close,” Trump said.

He thanked Netanyahu “for getting in there and doing a job. We worked well together, as we have with many other countries, both of us… which is the only way this whole situation gets solved.”

Trump stressed that the proposal extends beyond Gaza: “Much beyond Gaza. The whole deal. Everything. Getting solved. It’s called peace in the Middle East.”

“Today is a historic day for peace,” Trump added, noting that his talks with Netanyahu focused on “Iran, trade, the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and, most importantly, we discussed how to end the war in Gaza.”

The war’s end, he said, is “just part of the bigger picture, which is peace in the Middle East. Let’s call it eternal peace in the Middle East.”

Trump also highlighted the “incredible” level of support he has received from nations in the region.

He then announced the release of his “principles for peace, which people have really liked, I must say,” and thanked Muslim and Arab leaders “for their tremendous support in developing the proposal, along with many of our allies in Europe. Europe has been very much involved.”

Trump personally expressed gratitude to Muslim leaders including Saudi King Salman Al Saud, Qatari Emir Tamim al Thani, Emirati President Mohammed Bin Zayed, and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. These leaders, he said, “have been giving us ideas, things they can live with, things they can’t live with, pretty complex.”

He also thanked Jordan’s King Abdullah and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a longtime critic of Israel and supporter of Hamas. “He’s a friend of mine, he’s a strong man, but a good man,” Trump said of Erdogan.

Further acknowledgments went to Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el Sisi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who recently spoke warmly about Israel at the UN.

According to Qatari sources, if Hamas rejects the deal, its leaders will no longer be able to remain in Qatar or Turkey.

“If accepted by Hamas,” Trump said, “this proposal calls for the release of all remaining hostages immediately, but in no case more than 72 hours. So the hostages are coming back and …the bodies of young men are coming back immediately.”

His plan, he continued, “means the immediate end of the war itself, not just Gaza.”

Trump stressed that Arab and Muslim states “are going to be dealing with Hamas,” adding, “that they probably already have an understanding. They haven’t maybe mentioned that, but I imagine they do, otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten as far as they’ve gotten.”

“If they’re unable to do so,” Trump warned, “then Israel would have the absolute right and actually our full backing… Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”

He pointed out that Hamas is “the only one left” resisting the deal, but said, “I have a feeling we’re going to have a positive answer.”

Turning to Netanyahu, he said, “If not, Bibi, you know you’d have our full back to do what you have to do.”

“The tyranny of terror has to end and this is again something that we are looking for. This is eternity,” Trump declared.

Trump revealed that his plan includes creating an international oversight body, “the Board of Peace,” which he said he will personally lead at the request of Arab nations and Israel.

The body will feature world leaders and include former UK prime minister Tony Blair.

It will operate in partnership with the World Bank and “will be responsible for recruiting and training a new government that will be made up of Palestinians along with highly qualified experts from all along the world.”

Hamas and other terror groups will be excluded from any role in governance.

Trump said Netanyahu was “very clear about his opposition to a Palestinian state.” While noting differences, Trump added, “I understand and respect his position on many things, but what he’s doing today is so great for Israel.”

He emphasized that Israelis overwhelmingly want two things: bringing the hostages back and ending the war. “They’ve had it,” Trump said.

“I think it’s a very popular thing you do,” he added, turning to Netanyahu. “Because you’re a warrior. He doesn’t know about getting back to a normal way of life. But he is a warrior, and Israel is lucky to have him.”

Ultimately, Trump said, Israelis want to “get back to peace and get back to normalization.”

Senior Hamas terrorist Muhammad Mardawi told Al Jazeera that Trump’s proposal “leans toward the Israeli perspective.”

“What was said at the press conference [regarding the plan to end the war] leans toward the Israeli perspective; it is close to what Netanyahu insists on in order to continue the war,” Mardawi said.

He added, however, “we need to receive this plan in written and clear form before we respond to it. The plan must be in the hands of Hamas and the Palestinian organizations.”