Hamas Says Israeli Hostages To Be Released Ahead Of Trump’s Peace Summit

Hamas will begin releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza early on Monday morning, a senior official of the Palestinian militant group told AFP, just hours before US President Donald Trump convenes a major peace summit in Egypt on the future of the region.

All the surviving hostages will be released simultaneously.

Under the first phase of the deal, Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attacks triggered the devastating conflict, will free 20 surviving hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, AFP reported.

“According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in an interview on Saturday.

Trump, Sisi to Chair Summit on Gaza Peace

Later that day, President Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-chair a summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Egyptian presidency announced.

The meeting — bringing together leaders from over 20 nations — aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability.”

Among those expected to attend are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, and France’s Emmanuel Macron.

There was no confirmation on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would participate. Hamas, meanwhile, said it would not attend, having engaged in negotiations primarily through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, according to Hamas political bureau member Hossam Badran.

Complex Path Ahead for Peace

Despite the apparent breakthrough, mediators face the challenge of negotiating a longer-term settlement that would require Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza — conditions the group has so far rejected.

“The second phase of Trump’s plan contains many complexities and difficulties,” Badran said, while another Hamas official, speaking anonymously, declared that disarmament was “out of the question.”

Under Trump’s proposed roadmap, Israel would conduct a phased military withdrawal from Gaza’s cities, to be replaced by a multinational force from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, coordinated by a US-led command centre in Israel.

US Delegation Visits Gaza, Families in Tel Aviv

On Saturday, US CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the former president’s son-in-law, visited Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were returning to the ruins of their homes.

Later, Witkoff, Kushner, and Ivanka Trump travelled to Tel Aviv to meet families of the remaining Israeli hostages. Crowds at the gathering chanted, “Thank you, Trump!”

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is among the 20 believed to be alive, said, “We will continue to shout and 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.”

Israel Prepares Prisoners for Release

Hamas has until noon on Monday to hand over 47 remaining hostages, both living and dead, from the 251 abducted during the 2023 attacks that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians.

The remains of one Israeli hostage held since 2014 are also expected to be returned.

In exchange, Israel will release 250 prisoners, including some serving life terms for deadly attacks, along with 1,700 Gazans detained since the war began.

The Israeli Prison Service said Saturday it had already transferred the 250 national security detainees to two facilities ahead of the exchange.

‘All Those Memories Are Now Just Dust’

As the ceasefire held, more than 500,000 Palestinians had returned to Gaza City by Saturday evening, according to the Hamas-run civil defence agency.

“We walked for hours, and every step was filled with fear and anxiety for my home,” said Raja Salmi, 52. “When I reached Al-Rimal, my house was utterly destroyed. I stood before it and cried. All those memories are now just dust.”

Drone footage showed entire city blocks reduced to rubble, apartment towers with walls ripped off, and residents combing through debris for anything salvageable.

Aid Flows as Gaza Reels from War

The UN humanitarian office said Israel had authorised agencies to bring in 170,000 tonnes of aid into Gaza, conditional on the ceasefire’s continuation.

Still, residents describe the strip as unrecognisable. “Thank God... I found that our home is still standing,” said Musa, another resident. “It felt like a ghost town, not Gaza. The smell of death still lingers in the air.”

According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 67,682 people have been killed in Israel’s campaign, a figure the United Nations considers credible. Over half of the dead are women and children, the ministry said — though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

What Did Benjamin Netanyahu Say?

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also said, "Israel is prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages."

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