“Israel fought for a long time. They deserve a lot of credit, my people deserve a lot of credit too,” the US leader said.
US President Donald Trump took credit for the release of hostages from Gaza, telling reporters as he was boarding Air Force One on Wednesday, “Without the United States, the hostages would not be alive now. There are about 20 alive; we will get them out, step by step.
“Israel fought for a long time. They deserve a lot of credit; my people deserve a lot of credit, too,” he added.
Trump also informed Israel of his decision to lift sanctions on Syria.
Trump speaks with other foreign leaders in Saudi Arabia
“I spoke with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan – I got along great with him – and with [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed] bin Salman, and they thought it was very important,” the US leader added.
Trump had spoken with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh earlier on Wednesday, where he urged him to enter the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel.
The US president also told Sharaa to “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help the US prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in the northeastern parts of the country.”
He then left Saudi Arabia and arrived in Qatar for the first visit by a US president to the country since George W. Bush in 2003.
Meanwhile, there was little news of progress on the hostage talks being held in Qatar.
“There are no indications from the talks in Qatar that Hamas’s position is shifting in a way that would allow for a deal. There is no reason for optimism,” said three Israeli officials.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who is currently in Qatar. Other attendees in Doha include Adam Boehler, Trump’s envoy on hostage affairs, and an Israeli delegation led by “M.” from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Gal Hirsch, coordinator for hostages and missing persons, and Ophir Falk, a Netanyahu adviser.
In Israel, officials say it is possible that Hamas’s leadership abroad is “stalling for time” until they learn the fate of Mohammad Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza whom Israel attempted to assassinate on Tuesday in Khan Yunis.
A senior Israeli official told the Post that Netanyahu and the Israeli delegation continue to make it clear in Doha that the “Witkoff Framework” is the only viable path to a deal. This framework includes the release of 10 hostages, a 40–50 day ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and a return to fighting if no further deal is reached by the end of the ceasefire.
A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, “The release of soldier Edan Alexander has given new momentum to the negotiations in the Gaza Strip.”
Witkoff met in Doha with families of the hostages, along with senior Qatari officials. Following the meeting, he told the Qatari Al Araby TV: “The situation in Gaza is tragic, and we are working to improve it. We have a good plan, and both the US administration and Qatar are working on it.”
Alejandro Guillemette
Read More