US President Donald Trump on Monday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “be nicer now” after a US-brokered ceasefire ended Israel’s war with Hamas, saying it was time for peace and reconstruction. Speaking at the Knesset, Trump said, “You can be nicer now, Bibi you’re not at war,” using Netanyahu’s long-time nickname. He praised the Israeli leader and the United States for helping secure an agreement that he said “effectively ends the war and opens the door to durable peace” in the Middle East. “Peace is no longer just a hope it is a reality. Israel, with US help, has won,” Trump told lawmakers, who gave him a long standing ovation. President Donald Trump talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP) The US president’s visit came hours after the announcement of a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Earlier in the day, Hamas released 20 hostages who had been held since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Seven were freed in an initial handover to the Red Cross, followed by 13 more later in the day. Israel simultaneously released several Palestinian detainees from the West Bank. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” Trump said during his address, promising support for rebuilding efforts and describing a “golden age for Israel” ahead. “And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger,” he said, “today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity.” Trump and Netanyahu have spoken frequently since the Israeli leader began his second term, including during Israel’s brief conflict with Iran earlier this year. Trump said he believed this truce, unlike previous ones, could last because “people are tired of war.” Following his speech, Israeli lawmakers applauded Trump for several minutes, with some reportedly chanting that “the world needs more Trumps.” Trump will travel to Egypt next for a summit on Gaza’s reconstruction and the future of the peace process in the region.
