The process of releasing Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip will begin on Monday morning, October 13, and may be completed before US President Donald Trump's speech to the Knesset.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz with reference to AFP, a senior Hamas official said this. According to the deal brokered by Trump, Hamas must hand over all 48 hostages - both alive and dead - to Israel within 72 hours of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrawal to the so-called "yellow line" in the Gaza Strip.
The Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, Gal Hirsch, confirmed to the families of the abductees that the "countdown has begun" and that Israel is ready to receive both the released people and the remains of the dead. Preparations for the hostages, he said, have already been completed.
At the same time, there are different reports about the exact time of the process. According to Al Jazeera, Hamas has promised to hand over all living hostages by 6 a.m., Monday. Israeli officials expect the release to take place in sync with Donald Trump's visit to Jerusalem and his speech to the Knesset, scheduled for noon.
The Israeli side expressed hope that during the transfer of hostages, Hamas would adhere to the agreements reached in Sharm el-Sheikh and refrain from any public or humiliating actions.
Israeli sources also recognize that the militants may not have accurate data on the location of all the bodies of the victims. In this case, Israel will consider "a demonstration of goodwill and a real desire to search" as sufficient grounds for continuing to implement the agreement.
An international task force is expected to be created to search for the bodies of the hostages — it will include representatives from Israel, the United States, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and the Red Cross.
As part of the agreement, Israel has finalized preparations for the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, as well as 1,700 people detained after October 7, 2023.
After the exchange is completed, the parties plan to move on to the second phase of Trump's peace plan. It envisages the further withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian technocratic administration under international supervision, headed by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
As a reminder, Hamas and Israel agreed to the first step of the ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.