Netanyahu says ‘ready for immediate reception’ of all hostages; no Israeli official to attend Egypt peace summit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday (Oct 12) said that Israel was “prepared and ready” to receive all hostages held in Gaza. He made the remarks ahead of their exchange on Monday (Oct 13) morning for Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Hamas has confirmed the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Israel and then head to Egypt to chair the peace summit, where world leaders have been invited.

“Israel is prepared and ready for the immediate reception of all our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

The statement further added that Palestinian prisoners will be freed after all hostages arrive in Gaza.

“Palestinian prisoners will be released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel,” said Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

No Israeli officials will attend Egypt peace summit

The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Israel will not send any representative to the Gaza peace summit that will be chaired by Trump in Egypt. “No Israeli official will attend,” Bedrosian said.

Will Hamas participate in governing post-war Gaza?

AFP reported, citing a Hamas source close to the negotiating committee, that the Palestinian militant group will not participate in the governance of post-war Gaza. Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas, which the group has long described as a red line.

“For Hamas, the governance of the Gaza Strip is a closed issue. Hamas will not participate at all in the transitional phase, which means it has relinquished control of the Strip, but it remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric,” Hamas source told AFP.

He also said that they asked Egypt to call a meeting before the end of next week to agree on the composition of a Palestinian committee, adding that the names were “almost ready.”

“Hamas, along with the other factions, have submitted 40 names. There is absolutely no veto over them, and none of them belong to Hamas,” he said.

He further added, “Hamas agrees to a long-term truce, and for its weapons not to be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza.”

A day earlier, another Hamas official told the news agency that the group’s disarmament was “out of question” and “not negotiable.”

“The proposed weapons handover is out of the question and not negotiable,” the official said of Trump’s peace plan.