US PresidentDonald Trump recalled his phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the announcement of a hostage release and Gaza ceasefire agreement.“I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu just a little while ago,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “He called. He said, ‘I can’t believe it. Everybody is liking me now,’ meaning him. I said, ‘More importantly, they are loving Israel again,’ and they really are. I said, ‘Israel cannot fight the world Bibi, they cannot fight the world.’ And he understands that very well. So it’s amazing the way it’s all come together.”Trump said the achievement involved a combination of a “set of circumstances” and “a certain degree of luck,” citing efforts on Iran’s nuclear program among other initiatives.“It was just a set of circumstances, like, for instance, taking out the nuclear potential, nuclear power of Iran. So many different things happened that were so amazing. It’s a lot of talent involved, I’ll tell you. But there was a certain degree of luck too. You know, you need luck also. There is such a thing as luck,” he added.Trump also credited his administration team and the military for their significant roles in successfully completing the deal, highlighting the contributions of several officials like Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, J D Vance, and Marco Rubio. “The whole world came together, to be honest, so many countries that you wouldn’t have even thought of it, and they came together. The world has come together around this deal, and that’s something I would say that without that wouldn’t happen,” Trump said. Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have officially approved the first phase of the US-brokered peace plan, describing it as a ‘historic and unprecedented step’ toward ending the conflict in Gaza.“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump said through a post on Truth Social. Trump also stated that he will ‘likely visit Israel in the coming days’ to address the Knesset, the country’s parliament.In a separate statement, Netanyahu said that the approval of the first phase of the plan will ensure the return of all hostages, calling it a diplomatic achievement and a national and moral victory for Israel.“From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved,” Netanyahu said, as cited by Times of Israel.
