Latvia welcomes agreement on ceasefire in Gaza

RIGA - Latvia welcomes the agreement signed on Monday on a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, as well as the release of Israeli hostages from terrorist captivity by Hamas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told LETA.

The ministry stressed that Latvia highly valued the role of US President Donald Trump and regional mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in reaching and implementing the agreement.

Latvia fully supports the Trump-led peace plan, the Foreign Ministry said.

"We hope that both Hamas and Israel will honour the agreement and engage constructively in negotiations on the next phases of the ceasefire agreement. Latvia continues to support the prospect of a negotiated two-state solution in accordance with the requirements of international law, including the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," the Foreign Ministry statement underlined.

Foreign Minister Baiba Braze (New Unity) stressed that the disarmament and removal of Hamas from power is a prerequisite for sustainable peace in the Middle East.

The AFP news agency reports that US President Donald Trump hailed a "tremendous day for the Middle East" as he and regional leaders signed a declaration meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners.

Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to parliament, before flying to Egypt for a Gaza summit where he and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed the declaration on Monday as guarantors to the ceasefire deal.

"This is a tremendous day for the world, it's a tremendous day for the Middle East," Trump said as more than two dozen world leaders sat down to talk in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

He later declared that the assembled leaders had "achieved what everybody said was impossible".

"At long last, we have peace in the Middle East," Trump said in a speech.

According to the declaration, the signatories pledged to "pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security and shared prosperity in the region", and also welcomed "the progress achieved in establishing comprehensive and durable peace arrangements in the Gaza Strip".

But the statement -- released in full on Monday night by the White House -- was vague about the path ahead for peace between Israel and its neighbors, including the Palestinians, making no mention of a one- or two-state solution.

"We're talking about rebuilding Gaza. I'm not talking about single state or double state or two state," Trump told reporters en route back to the White House.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the Gaza deal "closes a painful chapter in human history" and sets the stage for a two-state solution.

As part of Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it held after two years of captivity in Gaza.

In exchange, Israel released 1,968 mostly Palestinian prisoners held in its jails, its prison service said.