Tel Aviv: Israel Gaza Peace Deal In Egypt Live Updates: As US President Donald Trump landed in Israel on Monday, the Gaza ceasefire held for a fourth straight day, indicating a calm marked by emotional scenes on both sides. In Israel, families embraced hostages returning home after more than 700 days in captivity, while in Gaza, freed Palestinian prisoners were welcomed by cheering crowds.
Trump will co-chair the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, where over 20 world leaders will gather to “end the war in Gaza and usher in a new era of regional stability,” according to Cairo.
India will be represented by Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, UN chief Antonio Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Hamas leaders will attend.
Palestinians, meanwhile, awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. The key exchange of hostages and prisoners follows a breakthrough ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump after two years of war.
Trump is en route to the region along with other leaders to discuss the US-proposed deal and postwar plans. Now, with the hostages' release, questions loomed over the future of Gaza as the deadliest war ever between Israel and Hamas left the Palestinian enclave in rubble. With war now over, a surge of humanitarian aid was also expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.
The hostages' return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity, and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.
As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.
With the hostages' release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.
The living hostages will be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Israeli military, which will take them to the Reim military base to be reunited with families.
It is unlikely that the remains of up to 28 other hostages will be returned at the same time. An international task force will work to locate dead hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel's coordinator for the hostages and the missing.
The timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.
While Israel considers the prisoners to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after people are released, according to a prisoner's family and a Palestinian official familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.
Source: NDTV