Trump urges leaders to put 'old feuds' aside as he calls for a new era of harmony in the Middle East

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — President Donald Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East on Monday during a global summit on Gaza's future, trying to advance broader peace in the region after visiting Israel to celebrate a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us," Trump said, and he urged leaders “to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past.”

The whirlwind trip, which included the summit in Egypt and a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

“Everybody said it's not possible to do. And it's going to happen. And it is happening before your very eyes," Trump said alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Nearly three dozen countries, including some from Europe and the Middle East, were represented at the summit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.

Trump, el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a document outlining a broad vision that Trump said would lay the groundwork for Gaza's future.

Despite unanswered questions about next steps in the Palestinian enclave, which has been devastated during the conflict, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony.

He expressed a similar sense of finality about the Israel-Hamas war in his speech at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero.

“You’ve won,” he told Israeli lawmakers. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”

“After tremendous pain and death and hardship," he said, "now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.”

Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country's brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”

Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.

"They might not be there by the time I get there, but we’ll give it a shot," Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much.

Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with an attack by Hamas-led militants. Trump talked with some of their families at the Knesset.

"Your name will be remembered to generations," a woman told him.

Israeli lawmakers chanted Trump's name and gave him standing ovation after standing ovation. Some people in the audience wore red hats that resembled his “Make America Great Again” caps, although these versions said “Trump, The Peace President.”

Netanyahu hailed Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House," and he promised to work with him going forward.

“Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace," he said. “And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”

Trump, in an unexpected detour during his speech, called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, whom he described as “one of the greatest” wartime leaders. Netanyahu faces corruption charges, although several hearings have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas.

The Republican president also used the opportunity to settle political scores and thank his supporters, criticizing Democratic predecessors and praising a top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the audience.

The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump's plan.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

Trump has said there's a window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.

“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

He said the chance of peace was enabled by his Republican administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.

In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.

“I don’t know about the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s blasted. This is like a demolition site.” But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory. “I’d like to put my feet on it, at least,” he said.

The sides have not agreed on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble, and the territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

Roughly 200 U.S. troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.

Megerian reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow the AP's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

President Donald Trump greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Gaza Peace Summit at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

President Donald Trump and other world leaders pose for a photo during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump and Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi hold signed documents during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump attends the signature ceremony at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

President Donald Trump attends the signature ceremony at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

President Donald Trump and other world leaders pose for a photo during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump speaks during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump waits to greet leaders during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump shows a signed document during the signature ceremony at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

President Donald Trump speaks during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens at right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump gestures as he poses next to a sign before a family photo at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (Suzanne Plunkett, Pool Photo via AP)

From the left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, US President Donald Trump, Emir of Qatar Cheikh Tamim ben Hamad al-Thani, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and fellow dignitaries pose during the family picture at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

President Donald Trump meets with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump talks with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump meets with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Air Force One carrying President Donald Trump lands for the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A policeman stands on alert in front of a poster showing Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

A police vehicle in front of a poster showing Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before he boards Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv, as Israel's President Isaac Herzog watches at left. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump speaks to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump speaks to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump Israeli and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak after Netanyahu addressed the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump speaks to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel's parliament, next to Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump enters the Knesset, Israel's parliament, with Israel's President Isaac Herzog and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, before he speaks Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

President Donald Trump walks with Israel's President Isaac Herzog, left, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump walks with Israel's President Isaac Herzog, left, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they sit together in a car after a welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

President Donald Trump greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Members of an Israeli military band listen to a live broadcast showing the first group of hostages being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, ahead of a welcoming ceremony for U.S. President Donald Trump's arrival at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

An Israeli security officer patrols the tarmac ahead of a welcoming ceremony for U.S. President Donald Trump's arrival at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A Jewish man wears a kippah printed with the image of U.S. President Donald Trump during a gathering at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, before the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

President Donald Trump walks over to speak with reporters before boarding Air Force One, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., as he heads to the Middle East. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.

Oil prices fell Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.

Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.

Here's the latest:

That makes him the highest ranking U.S. official to visit the country following the U.S. military strike which captured former leader Nicolás Maduro.

Thursday’s meeting, first reported by The New York Times, was confirmed Friday by a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The official said the meeting in Caracas came at President Trump’s direction and was intended to demonstrate the U.S. desire for a better relationship with Venezuela. The official said Ratcliffe discussed potential economic collaboration with the U.S. and warned that Venezuela can never again allow the presence of American adversaries, including drug traffickers.

— David Klepper

As Attorney General Pam Bondi approaches her first year on the job, the firings of Justice Department attorneys have defined her turbulent tenure. The terminations and a larger voluntary exodus of lawyers have erased centuries of combined experience and left the department with fewer career employees to act as a bulwark for the rule of law at a time when President Trump, a Republican, is testing the limits of executive power by demanding prosecutions of his political enemies.

Interviews by The Associated Press of more than a half-dozen fired employees offer a snapshot of the toll throughout the department. The departures include lawyers who prosecuted violent attacks on police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, environmental, civil rights and ethics enforcers, counterterrorism prosecutors, immigration judges and attorneys who defend administration policies. They continued this week, when several prosecutors in Minnesota moved to resign amid turmoil over an investigation into the shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

▶ Read more about firings at the Justice Department

The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year.

The White House said its National Energy Dominance Council and the governors of several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, want to try to compel PJM Interconnection to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants.

The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday.

▶ Read more about the administration and AI-driven power shortages

The Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has brought heightened attention to a key drama that will play out at the central bank in the coming months: Will Powell leave the Fed when his term as chair ends, or will he take the unusual step of remaining a governor?

Powell’s term as Fed chair ends May 15, but because of the central bank’s complex structure, he has a separate term as one of seven members of its governing board that lasts until January 31, 2028. Historically, nearly all Fed chairs have stepped down from the board when they’re no longer chair. But Powell could be the first in nearly 50 years to stay on as a governor.

Many Fed-watchers believe the criminal investigation into Powell’s testimony about cost overruns for Fed building renovations was intended to intimidate him out of taking that step. If Powell stays on the board, it would deny the White House a chance to gain a majority, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to seize greater control over what has for decades been an institution largely insulated from day-to-day politics.

▶ Read more about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

Trump on Thursday announced the outlines of a health care plan he wants Congress to take up as Republicans have faced increasing pressure to address rising health costs after lawmakers let subsidies expire.

The cornerstone is his proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit. Democrats have rejected the idea as a paltry substitute for the tax credits that had helped lower monthly premiums for many people.

Trump’s plan also focuses on lowering drug prices and requiring insurers to be more upfront with the public about costs, revenues, rejected claims and wait times for care.

Trump has long been dogged by his lack of a comprehensive health care plan as he and Republicans have sought to unwind former President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. Trump was thwarted during his first term in trying to repeal and replace the law.

▶ Read more about Trump’s health care plan

Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.

Donald Trump isn’t leaving it to future generations.

As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships.

That’s on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On Friday, he plans to attend a ceremony in Florida where local officials will dedicate a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.

▶ Read more about Trump’s renaming efforts

Nearly a year into his second term, Trump’s work on the economy hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC survey.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a significant gap between the economic leadership Americans remembered from Trump’s first term and what they’ve gotten so far as he creates a stunning level of turmoil at home and abroad.

Just 16% of Republicans say Trump has helped “a lot” in addressing the cost of living, down from 49% in April 2024, when an AP-NORC poll asked Americans the same question about his first term.

At the same time, Republicans are overwhelmingly supportive of the president’s leadership on immigration — even if some don’t like his tactics.

There is little sign overall, though, that the Republican base is abandoning Trump. The vast majority of Republicans, about 8 in 10, approve of his job performance, compared with 4 in 10 for adults overall.

▶ Read more about the poll’s findings

Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

Top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have raised concerns in the last 48 hours that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive conversations.

Oil prices fell on Thursday as the markets appeared to take note of President Donald Trump’s shifting tone as a sign that he’s leaning away from attacking Iran after days of launching blistering threats at Tehran for its brutal crackdown.

Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday maintained that “all options remain on the table” for Trump as he deals with Iran.

▶ Read more about Trump and Iran

— Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Ben Finley

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to honor the 2025 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)