U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave at the end of a joint news conference in the State Dining Room at the White House on September 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Alex Wong / Getty Images via AFP
Hungary has celebrated the fact “there is finally real hope for peace and security in the Middle East.”
While Brussels has targeted most of its post-October 7th fury on Jerusalem, to the extent of undermining the chances of peace in the Middle East, Donald Trump has this week unveiled a deal that appears to have pleased even Europe’s firmest supporters of Israel.
The peace plan, the first phase of which Israel and Hamas agreed to on Wednesday, has also been welcomed by most establishment government and EU officials, although there is a sense that they’d rather the praise was being thrown upon them. Some Brussels officials released largelyidentical statements on Thursday morning, and France’s Emmanuel Macron stressed that he would like to “contribute” to the peace efforts at some point, too.
The deal will see a pause in the fighting and the release of all the hostages (alive and dead), reportedly in one go. Israel will also have to partially withdraw from Gaza and hand over some Palestinian prisoners in return. It should come into effect this evening, despite some opposition. Questions remain over the timetable of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’ disarmament.
Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister of Hungary, which has been a friend of Israel throughout the conflict, said his government welcomes the agreement, adding:
Thanks to Donald Trump’s efforts, there is finally real hope for peace and security in the Middle East. We hope the Hungarian citizen held in Gaza will soon be freed.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed that the plan is “extraordinary news that paves the way for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces along agreed lines.”
Also in Italy, Deputy PM Matteo Salvini insisted that “if the weapons finally fall silent, President Trump truly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”
In the Netherlands, too, PVV leader Geert Wilders hailed the “great news that there is an agreement on the first phase of the ceasefire and that the hostages will be released quickly.”
Everyone benefits from peace.
Reports say that the hostages could be released this Sunday or Monday, October 12th or 13th.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
