The whirlwind trip, which included a speech at the Knesset in Jerusalem earlier in the day, comes at a fragile moment of hope for ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
More than two dozen countries are expected to be represented at the summit, which Trump is hosting along with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.
Despite unanswered questions about next steps in Gaza, Trump is determined to seize an opportunity to chase an elusive regional harmony.
“You’ve won,” he told Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset, which welcomed him as a hero. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
Trump promised to help rebuild Gaza, and he urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror and violence.”
“After tremendous pain and death and hardship," he said, "now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down.”
Trump even made a gesture to Iran, where he bombed three nuclear sites during the country's brief war with Israel earlier this year, by saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”
Trump is on a whirlwind trip to Middle East
Trump arrived in Egypt hours late because speeches at the Knesset continued longer than expected.
"They might not be there by the time I get there, but we’ll give it a shot," Trump joked after needling Israeli leaders for talking so much.
Twenty hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, with an attack by Hamas-led terrorisyts. Trump talked with some of their families at the Knesset.
"Your name will be remembered to generations," a woman told him.
