He then suggested Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stay and take questions in his absence.
However, Trump continued to take questions before the event finally broke up without Cabinet members remaining behind.
“We’re gonna get peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrapped up by saying. “That’s what we want to do.”
The public did not have to wait all too long for the formal confirmation. At 6.51pm – just about two hours after Rubio initially passed Trump the note – the president triumphantly took to his social media platform for the announcement.
“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, saying that means all hostages will be released “very soon” while Israel will withdraw their troops “to an agreed upon line”.
Trump added: “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this historic and unprecedented event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
