Hamas to begin releasing Israeli hostages Monday ahead of Trump's Egypt peace summit
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File Photo: Posters of Israeli hostages Photograph: (AFP)
Hamas said it will start releasing Israeli hostages on Monday in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The move precedes a major peace summit in Egypt led by Trump and el-Sisi, with over 20 nations attending.
Hamas will begin releasing Israeli hostages held in Gaza on Monday morning, a senior official from the group told AFP. As part of the first phase of the deal, Hamas will free the 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 is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Saturday (Oct 11). The exchange will take place ahead of an international summit chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
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Over 20 nations to take part in international peace summit
The Egyptian presidency said more than 20 countries will attend the meeting, aimed at bringing about an end to “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.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, and French President Emmanuel Macron have confirmed attendance. However, as per reports, there was no immediate word on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be present. Hamas said it will not take part directly, saying it had "acted principally through... Qatari and Egyptian mediators".
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Complex second phase
Despite the breakthrough, talks on the next phase remain uncertain. Hamas officials say the second stage of Trump’s plan — which calls for the group to hand over weapons and step aside from governing Gaza — “contains many complexities.” One Hamas official, speaking to AFP on the condition of anonymity, said disarming was “out of the question.”
Under Trump’s proposal, Israel will conduct a phased withdrawal from Gaza’s cities, to be replaced by a multinational force involving Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, coordinated through a US-led command centre in Israel.
