Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised US President Donald Trump following his intervention in reaching a peace deal in Gaza.
On Thursday, Trump proclaimed ‘everlasting peace’ after he clinched a historic deal to bring home Israeli hostages and end the bombardment of Gaza.
The Israeli government agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas just days after the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
Albanese told reporters in Brisbane on Friday that the hostage agreement was a ‘welcome advance’ and that Trump ‘deserves congratulations’ for his role in the peace deal.
‘I just want to say that I very much welcome this breakthrough. We have called for some time for a ceasefire, for the release of hostages, for aid to be granted,’ Albanese said.
‘That needs to happen, and we also need to talk about the day after, which requires a two-state solution.
‘I think President Trump deserves congratulations for the leadership the United States has shown.
‘We’ve always said that this will require US leadership, and that is what we have seen here, but it’s a very welcome advance.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has given Donald Trump credit for his Gaza peace deal
President Donald Trump brokered the historic peace agreement
Twenty Israeli hostages and the bodies of 28 others will be reunited with their loved ones on Monday or Tuesday in a ‘day of joy’, Trump said.
The Israel Defence Forces are set to withdraw to an agreed line, with the peace deal expected to be formally ratified by the Israeli cabinet.
Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who Israel tried to kill in the Qatari capital Doha last month, announced an end to the war.
He said the militant group had received assurances from international mediators that the fighting would ‘end permanently’.
He also vowed to keep working towards a Palestinian state ‘with Jerusalem as its capital’.
Trump told his cabinet: ‘The whole world has come together for this. People who didn’t like each other, neighbouring countries. This is a moment in time.’
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong also credited Trump with fortifying the peace agreement between the two warring parties.
‘President Trump has got this over the line,’ she said on Sky News.
Palestinians gathered at the Nuseirat refugee camp after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza
‘It is an extraordinary achievement and one that people around the world are supportive of, and it will bring hope where there has been despair for the people of Gaza.
‘I hope long-term peace for the people of Palestine and of Israel.’
Trump went as far as to say there was ‘peace in the Middle East’.
‘You remember October 7 was terrible, but from the Hamas standpoint, they’ve probably lost 70,000 people. That’s big retribution. At some point, that whole thing has to stop,’ he said.
Speculation quickly mounted that Donald Trump may have secured the Nobel Peace Prize after he brokered the historic peace agreement.
The President will assign 200 troops stationed in the Middle East to support Israel and help monitor the peace deal.
Trump is expected to travel to the Middle East on Sunday to celebrate the first phase of the peace deal and be there for the release of hostages by Hamas.
