Donald Trump awarded Egypt’s highest state honour, the Nile Collar, for ‘pivotal role in ending Gaza war'
Trump said he was ‘deeply honoured’ to receive the Nile Collar. At Monday's peace summit, El-Sisi said the award is presented ‘in recognition of President Trump’s efforts’ and is typically reserved for heads of state who provide ‘distinguished services to humanity’
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on Monday, awarded Egypt's highest state honour, the Nile Collar to US President Donald Trump, recognising what El-Sisi's office said the POTUS's “significant contributions to promoting peace, resolving conflicts, and most recently, his pivotal role in ending the war in Gaza.”
At Monday's peace summit, El-Sisi said the award is presented “in recognition of President Trump’s efforts” and is typically reserved for heads of state who provide “distinguished services to humanity.”
How Trump reacted to the award?
Donald Trump said he was “deeply honoured” to receive the Order of the Nile.
"I'm deeply honored to receive from you Egypt's highest state honor, the Order of the Nile," Trump responded. "The Nile is so beautiful, so magnificent."
Earlier in the day, Trump addressed the Knesset, the Israeli parliament to mark the first steps of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which he played a key role in brokering.
Israel-Gaza ceasefire
Hamas released all 20 of the last living hostages on Monday, the Israeli military said, as part of the ceasefire.
The Israel- Gaza ceasefire – which began on Friday – marked a significant step toward ending the two-year conflict sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, the war has resulted in the deaths of around 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The development comes days after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's Gaza peace plan, bringing an end to a fresh phase of hostilities triggered by the 7 October 2023, attack by Hamas.
West Bank's Ramallah erupted with joy as large crowds excitedly welcomed dozens of Palestinian prisoners, who were released from an Israeli jail, reported CNN.
How many prisoners were released?
The Israeli Prison Service announced on Monday that it had released nearly 2,000 detainees, mostly Palestinians, under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
In an official statement, the prison service said that “1,968 terrorists were transferred from several prisons across the country to the Ofer and Ktziot facilities," reported AP.
The group included 250 security detainees, many of whom were serving long-term or life sentences.