Donald Trump declares 'war is over' as he heads to Middle East after peace deal

Donald Trump has declared the conclusion of the Gaza conflict as he sets off for the Middle East on Air Force One this evening.

The president is travelling to the region following his orchestration of a comprehensive 20-point peace dealwith Hamas. Boarding his aircraft at approximately 5 p. m. ET today, Trump announced to journalists, "The war is over."

He boldly claimed that "everybody is into his deal," and voiced confidence that the ceasefire "is going to hold," according to the Express US, reports the Mirror US.

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Trump is travelling to Israel and Egypt to urge Middle Eastern allies to capitalise on this opportunity to forge enduring peace in the volatile region.

This occurs during a crucial period, with Israel and Hamas just starting to execute the opening stage of the Trump accord designed to permanently conclude the conflict sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel by Hamas-led fighters.

Trump believes there exists a narrow window to transform the Middle East and repair the fractured relationships between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

The Republican president maintains this moment has been enabled by his administration's support of Israel's destruction of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"Very excited about this moment in time," Trump also told reporters before Air Force One departed.

He noted that numerous people in both Israel and Arab nations were "cheering" the accord, stating that "everybody's amazed and their thrilled and we're going to have an amazing time."

The White House has announced that momentum is building as Arab and Muslim states show a renewed focus on resolving the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in some instances, strengthening ties with the United States.

Trump's comments at the start of his trip followed his statement on Friday. He said: "I think you are going to have tremendous success and Gaza is going to be rebuilt. You have some very wealthy countries, as you know, over there. It would take a small fraction of their wealth to do that. And I think they want to do it," he added.

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