Trump Declares Gaza War ‘Over’—As Captive Swaps and Skepticism Loom

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the war in Gaza “is over”, as he boarded Air Force One en route to the “Israeli” entity ahead of Monday’s highly anticipated captive exchanges.

Speaking to reporters before takeoff, Trump said, “The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” when asked if he believed the conflict between the “Israeli” entity and the Palestinian Resistance had truly ended.

Trump’s visit includes an address before “Israel’s” parliament, meetings with the entity’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and families of the captives, and later, participation in a summit on Gaza’s future in Sharm el-Sheikh. Over 20 world leaders are expected to attend the summit, though representatives from both the “Israeli” entity and Hamas will be absent.

Accompanying Trump are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and a delegation of senior US officials. “Everybody’s very excited about this moment in time. This is a very special event… Everybody’s cheering at one time. That’s never happened before,” Trump said optimistically.

Under the deal Trump unveiled in late September, Hamas will release all 48 “Israeli” captives—both living and dead—while “Israel” will free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since 2023. The first transfers began at 08:00 local time Monday, marking what Trump calls the “first step toward peace,” though many in Gaza remain doubtful that true peace is near.