President Donald Trump was the driving force behind a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, potentially ending the two year war in the Middle East. It is a major diplomatic accomplishment – one that even reporters and pundits on legacy media have been forced to admit the president deserves full credit for.
On Wednesday evening, Trump announced a deal to release the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan,” he wrote on Truth Social. “This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace.”
The Hostages
There are 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Axios reported Israel will release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 Palestinians detained by the IDF since the October 7 attack.
Israeli officials said the living hostages are expected to be released in one group, though the return of the deceased could take longer. Early this morning, President Trump called some of the families of those still being held in the tunnels of Gaza to tell them their loved ones would be “back on Monday.”
That is amazing. Imagine what those poor families have been through for two years worrying about their loved ones and now, finally, finding out that President Trump got this done. What an incredible accomplishment.
Trump the Dealmeker
This is how President Trump will be remembered. He is the dealmaker who just refused to settle for less; who said, ‘I know it’s impossible, but I’m going to do it anyway.’ It is the same guy who got up after getting shot. It is the same guy who didn’t get discouraged when they indicted him four times and sued him within the nth degree of losing his business. It is that same guy.
That guy we voted for because we saw that superhero strength is the guy who got this done and said: No, we will not settle for not getting the hostages. No, I will not accept Bibi’s pessimism about this deal or Hamas’ steadfast refusal to even try. No, we’re getting it done.
We have talked about how maybe God spared Trump that day in Butler, Pennsylvania, for a reason, and maybe God needed Charlie Kirk home early for a reason. You can’t look at this and think it might not have factored in. Because let’s be honest, no one thinks Kamala Harris could have gotten this done. I mean, even her fans know she couldn’t have. It required the strength that Donald Trump uniquely has.
Praising the Peacemakers
One of the hostages still believed to be alive is Matan Zangauker. He is now 26. He was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, and former hostages, who were once held with Matan but later released, told his family that he had begun suffering tremors due to a degenerative muscle disease that runs in the family.
After learning that his mother, Einav Zangauker, said in a statement: “Since I learned about the torture and the physical and mental suffering my son is enduring, I haven’t been able to eat, and I can barely breathe. How can a mother survive knowing her son, who suffers from a degenerative muscle disease, is being held alone in captivity? Can he even stand on his own? Hold a glass of water? My heart is breaking over what he’s going through.”
Last night, after learning the news of the deal, his mother told local media: “I can’t breathe. I can’t explain what I’m feeling… What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him. Just tell him that I love him. And see his eyes sink into mine.”
I get emotional reading that. God bless President Trump and the peacemakers. Because, by the way, it is not just Trump and his ability to get the international community behind this deal. You have to take a moment to shout out Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the ones he sent over there to actually negotiate it.
Steve Witkoff has been at this for so long. He has taken so many slings and arrows from people who say, ‘He’s a real estate guy. What does he know? He can’t do it?’ Well, guess what? He did it. And Jared Kushner – who has been so maligned by so many since Trump 1.0 he and Ivanka have shrunk from the public scene for a private life – reemerged for this. He cares deeply about the Middle East. He was the architect of the Abraham Accords, and he and Steve Witkoff negotiated this deal.
What a Day
As we reported on Thursday’s AM Update, several key aspects of the White House’s original 20-point plan are still under negotiation, including the disarmament of Hamas and the post-war governance of Gaza. Regardless, the release of the hostages is a moment so significant that everyone from world leaders to the establishment media (yes, even CNN and MSNBC) has been forced to acknowledge its impact.
What a day and what an accomplishment.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis with Buck Sexton by tuning in to episode 1,168 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.