'Long nightmare' over for Israelis and Palestinians: Trump in Israel's Parliament

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a "long nightmare" was finally over for Israelis and Palestinians alike after the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal was agreed between Israel and Hamas.

"The forces of chaos that have plagued the region are totally defeated," he said in a speech before Israel's Parliament.

Trump was briefly heckled by a Left-wing member of the Knesset, who was promptly expelled.

Gaza deal came as war was getting 'bad and heated', says Trump

Trump said that the Gaza deal recently was timely, as Israel's military operations were becoming "bad and heated."

"I said, Bibi, you're going to be remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going - kill, kill," Trump said in the speech, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I just want to congratulate you for having the courage to say, 'that's it, we've won and now let's enjoy our lives'."

Trump urges Israel's President to pardon Netanyahu

Trump urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption. Speaking before Israel's Parliament, Trump said: "Cigars and some champagne — who the hell cares?" referring to the fraud charges Netanyahu faces, which he denies.

Earlier, President Trump arrived in Israel to celebrate the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, an agreement that he declared had effectively ended the war and opened the door to building a durable peace in the Middle East.

As he disembarked from Air Force One, a convoy of vehicles carried into Israel the first hostages released by Hamas as part of the deal.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted Trump on the tarmac as a military band played. In Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the site of continuous demonstrations during two years of war, the crowd cheered for Trump.

“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters travelling with him aboard Air Force One.

“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasising that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

The Republican President said the chance of peace was enabled by his administration's support of Israel's decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.