HARD TIMES AWAIT ILLEGAL MINERS AS OLUKOYEDE BAGS MINILS’ FELLOWSHIP AWARD. (PHOTO). #PRESS RELEASE
President Donald Trump spent a whirlwind 12 hours in the Middle East on Monday, celebrating what he called a “new dawn” for the region as the first phase of a ceasefire deal he helped broker between Israel and Hamas began. The deal, which included the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages and the return of some Palestinian prisoners to Gaza, marked a major milestone after months of tense negotiations.
Back in Washington, Trump faced questions about the next steps, particularly the disarmament of Hamas, a key component of his 20-point peace plan that was not addressed in the initial phase. “They’re going to disarm, and because they said they were going to disarm. And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump said, declining to provide specifics on how it would be done. When asked about a timeline, he offered only “pretty quickly” and “a reasonable period of time.” Trump also said the process could be “quickly and perhaps violently” if Hamas failed to comply.
Trump emphasized that his current focus is on rebuilding Gaza, which has been devastated by two years of war, with reconstruction costs estimated at more than $70 billion. He did not offer concrete plans for the future governance of Gaza or Palestinian statehood, saying those issues would be worked out later. “A lot of people like the one-state solution. Some people like the two-state solution. We'll have to see,” he said. Trump added that he would decide what he believes is right in coordination with other countries.
On Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh, Trump and mediators from Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar signed a memorandum supporting his peace plan, which he called “historic,” though it contained only broad commitments rather than specifics. Neither Israel nor Hamas signed the document.
The ceasefire remains fragile. Israel accused Hamas of violating the agreement by not immediately returning all the bodies of four deceased hostages, prompting the U.N. to note that Israel planned to cut in half the number of aid trucks entering Gaza in response. Trump commented on the situation, saying, “We’ll find out,” and called the issue of the deceased hostages “a very tough subject,” adding, “I want them back. That’s what they said. I want them back.”
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