One year ago today, all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages finally came home after two years of unimaginable suffering in Gaza. Welcoming them home and seeing them reunited with their families was one of the most special moments of my life. After so much pain, uncertainty, and heartbreak, seeing families embrace their loved ones again was something I will never forget. The hostages endured hell, and their families demonstrated extraordinary strength, courage, and resilience through the darkest of times. @SEPeaceMissions and I are deeply grateful to @POTUS for his leadership and determination, @VP, @SecRubio, and our partners in Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey - particularly @netanyahu, @AmbDermer, @TamimBinHamad, @MBA_AlThani_, Ali Al-Thwadi, @AlsisiOfficial, General Hasan, @EgyptForeignMin, @RTErdogan, @HakanFidan, @ikalin1, and many others who worked tirelessly to make this day possible. Above all, today belongs to the freed hostages and their families. Their strength and determination will always inspire me.

Six years ago, President Trump launched the Abraham Accords and opened a new chapter of peace, partnership, and prosperity in the Middle East. Many said it was impossible. But with courageous leadership, persistence, and a small group of people willing to challenge old assumptions, we proved that the impossible could be achieved. For too long, the region was trapped by old ideas and failed frameworks that managed conflict rather than solved it, and too often created incentives that perpetuated division and instability. The idea behind the Abraham Accords was simple: instead of reinforcing the things that divide people, build bonds that bring them together. Increase understanding. Expand trade and investment. Deepen security cooperation. Create tangible benefits that make people’s lives better and give everyone a stake in peace. What began as a bold vision has delivered billions in trade, joint innovation, new friendships and partnerships, and a powerful alternative to the failed approaches of the past. The Middle East is once again at an inflection point. There are breakthrough opportunities today that many will say are impossible. But we have seen what can happen when leaders reject conventional thinking, focus on common interests, and have the courage to pursue a better future. The Abraham Accords showed that a different path is possible. Now we have an opportunity to build an even broader movement around cooperation, shared prosperity and security—and replace the failed ideas of the past with a new model that gives people across the region something better to believe in and build toward. We surprised the world once. With the right leadership, focus, patience and courage, I believe we can do it again.