Trump says he’ll use Gaza deal momentum to expand Israel’s regional ties

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would use the Gaza ceasefire deal as momentum to expand the Abraham Accords, U.S.-backed agreements struck during the president-elect’s first term that normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab countries.

Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas after 15 months of conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed Middle East tensions.

The deal includes the gradual release of hostages captured by Hamas-led militants during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Trump, who repeatedly threatened there would be “hell to pay” if hostages were not released ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration, said he was “thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home”.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He said he would build on the ceasefire’s momentum to expand the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

Israeli troops invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen broke through security barriers and burst into Israeli border-area communities on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 foreign and Israeli hostages.

Israel’s air and ground war in Gaza has since killed over 46,000 people, according to Gaza health ministry figures, and left the coastal enclave a wasteland of rubble with hundreds of thousands of displaced people struggling through the winter cold in tents and makeshift shelters.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; editing by Rami Ayyub)