Israeli hostages will start to be released on Monday morning, senior Hamas official says

Israeli hostages’ will start to be released on Monday morning, according to senior Hamas officials. 

It comes as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) completed their partial withdrawal of Gaza on Friday. 

It set the 72-hour timer ticking for the return of all the 48 Israeli hostages including 20 believed to still be alive as agreed under Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Osama Hamdan told AFP: ‘According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter.’

Under Trump’s deal, Hamas plans to release all remaining hostages in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza. 

At the beginning of the week Hamas said it was still searching for some of the slain hostages held in the Strip.

A taskforce was then established to locate the deceased missing hostages, including representatives from Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar.

The US President is expected to give a historic speech at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem on Monday.

He will meet those freed before travelling to Egypt for a summit on Gaza with world leaders.

The IDF now remains in control of 53 per cent of Gaza as some 200 American soldiers from US Central Command were dispatched to Israel to oversee the transition of power.

No American boots will hit the ground in the Strip but they will coordinate and assist in bringing in humanitarian aid and the international peacekeeping force from Arab and Muslim nations.

On Wednesday night, Trump announced that both Israel and Hamas had signed off on the ‘first phase’ of his proposed peace deal – a substantial step in ending the war in Gaza.

He said the world ‘coming together’ had helped forge his landmark deal between Israel and Hamas.

‘This is more than Gaza,’ Trump told American TV presenter Sean Hannity during a telephone interview Wednesday night. ‘This is peace in the Middle East.’

Trump declared it was a ‘great day for the world’ as he imagined a prosperous future for the war torn area.

Netanyahu’s office said that he and Trump spoke and congratulated each other on the agreement to release all hostages

‘The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day,’ he said. ‘This is a great day for the world. This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everybody.’

Hamas thanked Trump, as well as mediators in Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for the peace deal which they say provides ‘the withdrawal of the occupation, allows the entry of aid and implements a prisoner exchange.’

‘We call on President Trump, the guarantor states of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic and international parties to oblige the government of the occupation to fulfill all the agreement’s commitments, and not to allow it to evade or delay implementation of the accords.’

Netanyahu’s office said that he and Trump spoke and congratulated each other on the agreement to release all hostages, which Netanyahu’s office described as a ‘historic achievement.’

According to a statement from the prime minister’s office, the conversation was ‘warm and moving.’ Netanyahu thanked Trump for his ‘efforts and global leadership,’ while Trump praised Netanyahu’s ‘determined leadership and the actions he led.’

The latest truce marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year-conflict that was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. 

Since then, around 1,000 Israeli soldiers have died while over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed according to the Hamas-run health ministry. 

Some Palestinians walk on foot along Rashid Street, carrying the few belongings they manage to save, as they hope to go back to their homes after enduring harsh living conditions for months in Gaza City

President Donald Trump’s put out the news in the anticipated Truth Social post, announcing that Israel and Hamas had signed off on the ‘first Phase of our Peace Plan’

The plan states that on agreement by both sides, ‘the war will immediately end’ with Israeli withdrawals timed to release of the last hostages held by Hamas. During that initial period, there would be a ceasefire.

Existing ‘battle lines’ will be frozen in place and Hamas will lay down its arms with the terror group’s offensive weaponry being destroyed.

While ‘full aid’ will be immediately sent to the Gaza Strip.

Key points include the deployment of a ‘temporary international stabilisation force’ and creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump.

The deal demands Hamas militants fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government. However, those who agreed to ‘peaceful co-existence’ would be given amnesty.

Following Israeli withdrawal, the borders will be opened to aid and investment.

In a crucial change from Mr Trump’s earlier apparent goals, Palestinians will not be forced to leave and instead, the document said, ‘we will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza.’