As the middle peace deal is holding up for the fourth day, Hamas is set to release all the surviving hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.This comes as US President Donald Trump is making a flash visit to the region for the peace summit and to celebrate his role in brokering last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal.Here are the top developments20 living hostages to be releasedAs per Trump’s deal, Israel will begin releasing around 2,000 Gaza detainees after Hamas have handed over surviving 20 hostages. According to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Israel expects all 20 living hostages to be released to the Red Cross “early Monday morning.”Trump’s ‘very special’ visitSpeaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump brushed off concerns about whether the ceasefire would endure.”I think it’s going to hold. I think people are tired of it. It’s been centuries,” Trump said.”The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” he added.
In his four hour visit to Israel, Trump is due to meet the families of the hostages seized by Hamas in the deadly cross-border attack two years ago that sparked the war. He will also deliver an address at the Knesset.Prior to his speech, Trump will meet with Netanyahu in the premier’s Knesset office. The two leaders will then meet with families of hostages in the Knesset’s Chagall HallThe timeline is limited by the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, which begins on Monday evening, and marks the second anniversary, on the Hebrew calendar, of the Hamas invasion and massacre that launched the war on October 7, 2023. Trump to head Egypt nextAfter visiting Israel, Trump will head to Egypt where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders to back his plan to end the Gaza war and promote Middle East peace.Trump will be looking to resolve some of the huge uncertainty around the next phases of the peace plan — including Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.Trump insisted he had “guarantees” from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.”I don’t think they’re going to want to disappoint me,” he said.Trump also said he would be “proud” to visit Gaza itself, but did not say when such a difficult security challenge would be possible.New governing body in GazaA new governing body for devastated Gaza — which Trump himself would head under his own plan — would be established “very quickly,” he added.Under the plan, as Israel conducts a partial withdrawal from Gaza, it will be replaced by a multi-national force coordinated by a US-led command centre in Israel.
