US President Donald Trump expects the hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip to be released early next week.
They are looking forward to welcoming the hostages to their families – “and that will happen early next week. We hope it will be Monday or Tuesday,” he said at a televised meeting of his Cabinet in Washington. Freeing them is a complicated process. There are still 48 hostages in the Gaza Strip, of which, according to Israeli information, 20 are still alive.
Trump also announced that he wanted to head to the Middle East “very soon”. He did not give an exact time. The day before he had already considered a trip around the weekend.
The exact timing of the hostages’ release is still unclear – as is whether it will all be released at once and whether the remains of the hostages will also be handed over to Israel. It was believed the hostages could be released on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Trump initially spoke of probably Monday – now probably Monday or Tuesday.
Israel and the Islamist Hamas reached the first important agreements in the struggle for a settlement to the Gaza war on Thursday night; indirect negotiations began on Monday. Among other things, it was agreed that all hostages should be released soon and Israel would withdraw its soldiers to an agreed line. Trump had presented a peace plan as the basis for the negotiations.
The Gaza war began two years ago. The trigger was the attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist terrorist organizations on October 7, 2023. Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage to Gaza. Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.
>Hamas: War is ‘completely over’, according to mediators
The Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas sees the Gaza war as over. “We have received guarantees from the mediators and the US government and everyone has confirmed that the war is completely over,” Hamas’ top foreign leader, Khalil al-Haja, said in a televised address that evening. Al-Haja is also the head of Hamas’ negotiating delegation to the ceasefire talks.
Hamas “gave a response that serves the interests of the Palestinian people and spares bloodshed,” al-Haja said in approving the agreement based on the US peace plan. “We reaffirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain and that we will remain faithful to our promise and not abandon the national rights of our people: to achieve freedom, independence and self-determination.”
Hamas will continue to work with national and Islamic factions to achieve the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas had previously agreed to the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan in a moment hailed as “historic”. Trump described the agreement as a first step “towards a strong, lasting and everlasting peace. All parties will be treated fairly!” he wrote on the Truth Social platform.
The agreement stipulates that all 48 Israeli hostages will be released within 72 hours or their bodies will be returned home, around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be released and Israel will withdraw to a specific line. A ceasefire should come into force after the agreement is approved by the Israeli cabinet. “We have all been waiting for this moment for far too long. Now we have to make it count,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The Israeli government wanted to give the final green light that evening. From this point onwards, the agreed deadlines would also run.
/rin/DP/men
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX)