US President-elect Donald Trump has said that he would use the Gaza ceasefire deal as momentum to expand the Abraham Accords, US-backed agreements struck during the president-elect’s first term that normalised Israel’s relations with several Arab countries.

Trump, who repeatedly threatened there would be “hell to pay” if hostages were not released ahead of his January 20 inauguration, said he was “thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home”.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza never again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He said he would build on the ceasefire’s momentum to expand the Abraham Accords, which normalised Israel’s ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.