Trump Reveals Netanyahu's Response to Gaza Peace Deal: "Everybody Is Liking Me Now"

Trump revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him following the Gaza deal announcement.

Washington:

In a recent conversation with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed that everyone was "loving Israel again" after the announcement of the hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal. This communication took place during a phone call following Trump's announcement of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.

"It (the deal) has brought the whole world together. It's amazing. I've never seen anything - it's so good for Israel," Trump shared during a phone interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, recounting his exchange with Netanyahu.

Trump mentioned to Hannity that 'Bibi' (Netanyahu's nickname) reached out to him after the Gaza deal was announced.

"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," Trump elaborated.

During their conversation, Trump reminded Netanyahu that "Israel cannot fight the world... And he understands that very well. So it's amazing the way it's all come together."

The US president attributed this diplomatic achievement to "a set of circumstances" combined with "a certain degree of luck," citing efforts to impede 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 explained.

Trump, known for claiming credit for significant global developments, acknowledged that members of his administration provided "tremendous help" in finalizing the deal.

"...From Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Marco [Rubio], and we had everybody. JD [Vance], the whole, the whole group was just amazing. And the military was, as you know, very instrumental in getting this done. We have a great military with great leadership," he stated.

He also shared credit with Arab nations for finalizing the deal, saying, "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...So many countries that you wouldn't have thought of have wired their best wishes and their commitment to do whatever is necessary. The surrounding countries have all signed; I mean, they're all signed up, and it's been, it's been really an amazing period of time."

Israel-Hamas Deal

Israel and Hamas announced they had agreed to a long-anticipated ceasefire and hostage deal, marking the first phase of Trump's plan to end the Gaza conflict that has claimed more than 67,000 lives and transformed the Middle East landscape.

Just one day after the second anniversary of the cross-border attack by Hamas militants that provoked Israel's devastating offensive on Gaza, indirect negotiations in Egypt produced an agreement on the initial stage of Trump's 20-point framework for bringing peace to the Palestinian territory.

The agreement, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had expanded into a regional conflict, involving countries such as Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, deepening Israel's international isolation and reshaping the Middle East.

However, the agreement announced by Trump late Wednesday lacked specific details and left many unresolved questions that could potentially lead to its collapse, similar to previous peace efforts.

Successful implementation of the deal would represent a significant foreign policy achievement for the Republican president, who campaigned on bringing peace to major world conflicts but has faced challenges in delivering quick results, both in Gaza and regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.