United States President Donald Trump on Monday hailed what he described as the end of a “long and painful nightmare” for Israelis and Palestinians, following the completion of a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

Speaking before Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, Trump praised both sides for “enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” as the last surviving hostages returned home after nearly two years in captivity in Gaza.

“From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war. Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.” Trump said to a standing ovation.

The US president’s lightning visit to Israel precedes a regional summit scheduled for Tuesday in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, where Trump will co-host world leaders alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to consolidate support for his 20-point Gaza peace plan announced in late September.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including about 250 convicted of security offences, in exchange for the return of 20 remaining hostages. Hamas has also agreed to return the bodies of 27 hostages who died or were killed in captivity, as well as the remains of an Israeli soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza conflict.

Celebrations erupted in both Tel Aviv and Ramallah as the prisoner exchanges began. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, families wept and sang as freed hostages were reunited with loved ones. “I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” said Noga, a relative of one of the released hostages.

In the West Bank, crowds in Ramallah filled the streets to welcome home returning prisoners, waving flags and chanting “Allahu akbar” as buses arrived. “It’s an indescribable feeling, a new birth,” said Mahdi Ramadan, one of those freed, as he embraced his parents.

The ceasefire follows nearly two years of fighting that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, during which 251 people were taken hostage and more than 1,200 were killed.

While Trump celebrated the truce as a turning point, he acknowledged challenges ahead as Israel and Hamas continue to negotiate the next phase of the peace plan. Speaking aboard Air Force One, he said he believed the ceasefire would endure. “I think it’s going to hold,” he told reporters.

The plan envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, to be replaced by a US-led multinational force coordinating reconstruction and governance efforts. Trump also announced that a new governing body for Gaza — which he said would be established “very quickly” — will operate under US guidance.

However, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend the Egypt summit due to the start of a religious holiday, though Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to participate.

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem urged mediators to ensure Israel “does not resume its aggression against our people.”

The war in Gaza has left deep scars. According to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, considered credible by the United Nations, at least 67,869 people have been killed since the conflict began with more than half of them being women and children.

For both sides, the ceasefire marks a moment of relief, but the path to peace remains uncertain. As one Tel Aviv resident put it, “The nightmare may be over, but healing will take much longer.”