Trump-Gaza latest: US president says ‘war is over’ as he flies to Israel ahead of hostage release

The scene in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, on Thursday afternoon was one of nervous relief rather than joy. There had been too many false dawns for anyone to start unbridled celebrations.

The giant digital clock, when I dropped by, recorded 733 days, 11 hours and 47 minutes since 251 hostages were snatched in October 2023. Crowds milled aimlessly around; reporters scanned their mobiles for updates; the merch stalls were doing good business for hostage T-shirts, coffee cups and keyrings. Two women took it in turns to hold a giant placard proclaiming: “We love Trump. He who saves just one life saves an entire world.” Well, perhaps.

I stooped my way through the “tunnel experience” – an art installation claiming to simulate the underground experience of the hostages – and paused to watch a circle of relatives quietly dancing and singing. A former hostage, Omer Shem Tov, cautioned the crowd against too much hope. “With all that joy, I have to say: it’s not over yet.”

Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released as soon as Israel has confirmation that all the hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel, an Israeli spokeswoman said.

Spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian did not confirm whether she was referring to the 20 living hostages, or the 48 in total including those who have died.

But based on answers to other questions, and given reports that not all of the 28 deceased hostages have been located in Gaza, it appears she was referring to the living hostages.

Palestinian prisoners and detainees will already be in the buses when the hostages are due to cross into Israeli territory, she said.

“Once the confirmation comes through that they have crossed into Israeli territory, those buses will start and they will begin their journey [into Gaza],”she said.

Stretching out to the horizon in front of Palestinian father of two Said is a breathtaking level of destruction few can imagine. The apartment buildings in this north Gaza city are so eviscerated that they have been reduced to dust. It is hard to even call it rubble – it looks like ash.

“This is the location of our home. Nothing is visible,” Said says, pointing to an indiscernible mountain of grey, with a deadness in his voice. “Wiped out. Evaporated. It is as if there were never a house here at all.”

As soon as the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect at noon Friday, Said, 34, was among the first to take the deadly risk of marching north to find his home. Displaced countless times since the start of Israel’s two-year bombardment and siege on Gaza, he had hoped to at least recover some precious items, like photos, from his home.

“When I came back today I expected my home to be a collapsed building that we could retrieve belongings from,” he tells The Independent, sending videos and photos of the scene.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are taking the long march home to north Gaza, only to find ash and ruins, report Nedal Hamdouna and Bel Trew

The Independent’s Washington DC Correspondent John Bowden reports:

Donald Trump has said that he wants to find out if Tony Blair is “an acceptable choice to everybody”.

He told reporters on board Air Force One: “First, I want to find out if Tony [Blair] would be popular with all, because I just don’t know that – I like Tony, I’ve always liked Tony, but I want to find out that he’s an acceptable choice to everybody.”

The war in Gaza has ended and the Middle East is going to “normalise”, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday as he flew to Israel, which was waiting for Hamas to release Israeli hostages as world leaders were gathering to discuss the next steps toward peace.

“The war is over, you understand that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began a flight from Washington to Israel.

Asked about prospects for the region, Trump said, “I think it’s going to normalise.”

The Independent’s Washington DC Correspondent John Bowden reports:

Donald Trump has said that all sides are “cheering at one time” .

He told reporters on board Air Force One: “They had 500,000 people yesterday and today, in Israel, and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody is cheering at one time. That’s never happened before.”

The Independent’s Washington DC Correspondent John Bowden reports:

Donald Trump has said he is “not worried about anything”.

As he flies to Israel on board Air Force One, the US president told reporters: “I’m not worried about anything. I think we have a great deal, and it’s a great deal for everybody. You know, a great deal is a deal, where everybody is happy, and every country, they’re dancing in the streets, that’s a great deal. It’s a unique, a unique period in time.”

The Independent’s Washington DC Correspondent John Bowden reports:

Donald Trump has said he would like to go to Gaza as he left the US for his trip to the Middle East.

When asked about going to the Strip, the US president told reporters on board Air Force One: “I would, yeah. I’d be proud to….I’d like to do it. I’d like to put my feet on it, at least.”