Hamas Says Israeli Hostages to Be Freed From Gaza Before Trump Peace Summit

Hamas Says Israeli Hostages to Be Freed From Gaza Before Trump Peace Summit

Oct 12, 2025 - 10:45
 0
Hamas Says Israeli Hostages to Be Freed From Gaza Before Trump Peace Summit
Hamas Says Israeli Hostages to Be Freed From Gaza Before Trump Peace Summit

Hamas will begin releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza on Monday morning, a senior official from the Palestinian militant group told AFP, ahead of an international peace summit to be chaired by US President Donald Trump in Egypt.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Hamas — whose October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel ignited the conflict — will release captives, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

“According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange will begin on Monday morning as planned,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP on Saturday.

Later that day, Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are scheduled to co-chair a summit of more than 20 nations in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Egyptian presidency announced.

The meeting aims “to end the war in Gaza, strengthen efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and open a new chapter of regional security and cooperation,” the statement said.

Among the confirmed attendees are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and French President Emmanuel Macron. There has been no confirmation on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will attend.

Hamas said it would not participate directly in the summit, having “acted principally through Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during negotiations, according to political bureau member Hossam Badran.

Despite this breakthrough, mediators still face the complex challenge of crafting a long-term political deal that would see Hamas disarm and step away from governing Gaza. Badran acknowledged that the second phase of Trump’s plan “contains many complexities and difficulties,” while another Hamas official, speaking anonymously, said disarmament was “out of the question.”

Under Trump’s proposal, Israel will gradually withdraw from Gaza’s cities, to be replaced by a multinational force from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates — coordinated by a US-led command center based in Israel.

On Saturday, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians were returning to their devastated homes. Witkoff, Kushner, and Ivanka Trump later joined families of remaining hostages in Tel Aviv, where crowds chanted, “Thank you, Trump.”

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is among the 20 believed to be alive, said: “We will continue to fight until everyone is home.” Zairo Shachar Mohr Munder, whose uncle Abraham was abducted and later found dead, added, “We finally feel hope, but we cannot and will not stop now.”

Hamas has until noon on Monday to hand over 47 remaining hostages — both living and deceased — from the 251 taken during the 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians. The remains of one hostage held since 2014 are also expected to be returned.

In return, Israel will free 250 prisoners, including several serving life sentences, and 1,700 Gazans detained since the war began. The Israeli prison service said Saturday it had already transferred the 250 detainees to two facilities in preparation for the exchange.

By Saturday evening, more than 500,000 Palestinians had returned to Gaza City, according to the enclave’s civil defense agency.

“We walked for hours, filled with fear for what we’d find,” said Raja Salmi, 52. “When I reached my home in Al-Rimal, it was completely destroyed. I just stood there and cried — all my memories turned to dust.”

AFP drone footage showed entire blocks reduced to rubble and twisted steel, with residents searching through debris for what remained of their lives.

The UN said Israel has permitted the delivery of 170,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid into Gaza if the ceasefire holds.

“It felt like a ghost town, not Gaza,” said Sami Musa, 28, after finding his family’s home still standing. “The smell of death still lingers in the air.”

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry — figures the UN considers credible — with more than half of the dead believed to be women and children.

What's Your Reaction?

like

dislike

love

funny

angry

sad

wow