In a speech to Israel’s parliament on the day the country’s 20 living hostages were freed as part of a ceasefire deal he helped negotiate, President Donald Trump told the Knesset: “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
“This will be remembered as the moment when everything began to change,” Trump said in an hour-long speech in which he touted his administration’s role in the deal and said it marked the end of a “painful nightmare” for Israel and the Palestinians.
The remaining live hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023 were returned to Israel on Monday, officials said, and Palestinian prisoners were freed in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement aimed at permanently ending the fighting.
“This long, difficult war is over,” Trump declared, although challenges remain in ensuring lasting peace in Gaza and questions abound about what comes next, especially given the ultimate failure of a six-week hostage-for-prisoner ceasefire in January.
President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem.
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In scathing comments apparently directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has not gone so far as to say the conflict is over, Trump said: “Israel, with our help, has won everything it could by force of arms. You have won.”
“Now is the time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East. It is time for them to enjoy the fruits of their labor,” Trump added.
In a sign of the warm welcome he was receiving, many in the audience wore MAGA-style hats that read “Trump, the Peace President.”
“After so many years of relentless war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are silent, and the sun is rising in a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” Trump said. “A land and a region that will live. God willing, in peace for all eternity.”
Trump’s speech was briefly interrupted when Ayman Udah, an Arab-Israeli from Israel’s Hadash party, and his colleague, Ofir Kassif, an Israeli Jew, shouted and held up a banner that read “genocide.” They were quickly expelled.
Security officials remove a Knesset member who interrupted President Donald Trump’s speech before the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem.
Evan Vucci/AP
But overall, Trump received a friendly reception when Israel’s parliament speaker introduced him as the “best friend Israel has ever had” in the White House, a sentiment echoed by Netanyahu.
“No American president has ever done more for Israel and, as I said in Washington, it’s not even close. It’s really no match,” Netanyahu said.
Trump directly criticized his predecessors in the Oval Office, former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, accusing them of “hatred of Israel” and saying he was proud to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration.
The Israeli prime minister said that when Trump was elected, “overnight, everything changed.”
President Donald Trump listens to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addresses the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, October 13, 2025.
Evan Vucci/AP
“Mr. President, we welcome you here today to thank you for your fundamental leadership and for presenting a proposal that won the support of almost the entire world, a proposal that brings all of our hostages home, a proposal that ends the war by achieving all of our objectives, a proposal that opens the door to a historic expansion of peace in our region and beyond our region,” Netanyahu said. “Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace. And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”
As Trump smiled, Netanyahu announced that he had submitted Trump’s nomination to be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, Israel’s highest award. Earlier, the speaker of Israel’s parliament said he would nominate Trump for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
“As for the other prize, just a question time, they will get it,” Netanyahu said.
In a surprise moment, Trump called on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, prompting lengthy applause from the audience in parliament. Netanyahu is currently on trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. in multiple cases.
“That wasn’t in the speech, as you probably know, but I happen to like this gentleman here and he seems to make a lot of sense,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem.
Saúl Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Trump also revealed how he got Netanyahu to agree to the ceasefire deal, saying he advised the prime minister that it would be better for him to do so than to continue Israel’s military campaign.
“If you had continued for three, four more years, you would have kept fighting, fighting, fighting. It was getting bad. It was getting hot. The timing of this is brilliant,” Trump said. “And I said, ‘Bibi, you’re going to be remembered for this a lot more than if you kept doing this, killing, killing, killing. It wouldn’t… it wouldn’t be the same.’ And I just want to congratulate you for having the courage to say, ‘That’s it.’ We’ve won, and now let’s enjoy our lives, and let’s rebuild Israel and make it stronger and bigger and better than ever.”
More than 67,000 Palestinians have died in the war between Israel and Hamas, led by Hamas. Loop The Ministry of Health said in a statement on Thursday. According to Israeli officials, more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack, and about 250 people were kidnapped. The fate of some hostages remains unclear.
Trump’s speech in the Knesset was attended by his daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, the latter involved in the negotiations, as well as the White House special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.
Several Trump administration officials were also in the audience, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and more.
Ivanka Trump arrives as President Donald Trump will address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Jared Kushner acknowledges the applause as US President Donald Trump arrives to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The White House released a short video of Trump and Netanyahu meeting with the hostages’ families before their speech.
After the speech, Trump headed to an international “peace summit” in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where he would sign an agreement on the future of Gaza with more than 20 leaders from around the world.
Netanyahu will not attend the summit, despite being invited by Trump.
“The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation but said he would not be able to participate due to the proximity of the holiday,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his efforts to widen the circle of peace: peace through strength.”
