Trump says he will travel to Egypt for official Gaza ceasefire deal signing

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to travel to Egypt soon for an official Gaza ceasefire deal signing ceremony, describing it as an “incredible day” made possible with the help of key regional leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

“We're going to try and get over there, and we're working on the timing -- the exact timing,” Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “We're going to go to Egypt, where we'll have a signing, an additional signing, and we've already had a signing representing me, but we're going to have an official signing.”

Trump expressed “tremendous gratitude” to the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other nations for their roles in reaching the agreement.

“(Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan was personally involved in dealing with Hamas and some of the others. He's been great,” he said.

“They’ve all been really amazing. Indonesia has been fantastic. The whole world has come together for this -- people that didn’t get along, people that didn’t like each other,” he added.

The US president said the deal includes the release of all remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip. “They should be released on Monday or Tuesday,” he said, adding that “getting them is a complicated process.”

Turning to reconstruction plans for Gaza, Trump said wealthy countries in the region would contribute to rebuilding efforts.

“You have tremendous wealth in that part of the world by certain countries, and just a small part of that will do wonders for Gaza,” he said. “I think you're going to see some tremendous countries stepping up and putting up a lot of money, and taking care of things.”

Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his Gaza ceasefire plan.

On Sept. 29, he unveiled a 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire enclave.

Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force made up of Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas. It also stipulates Arab and Islamic funding for the new administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, with limited participation from the Palestinian Authority.

Arab and Muslim countries have welcomed the plan, but some officials have said that many details in it need discussion and negotiations to be fully implemented.