After 738 days of captivity, all twenty Hamas hostages still alive were released. The full list: Bar Kuperstein, Eviatar David, Yosef Haim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avitan Or, Elkana Buchbot, Maxim Harkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Tsengauker, David Cuneo, Eitan Horn, Matan Engerst, Eitan Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Rom Breslavsky and Ariel Cune.
The release of Palestinian prisoners, nearly 2,000 , has also begun. After his speech to the Knesset, Donald Trump left for Sharm el-Sheik for a peace summit "to consolidate the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and reaffirm their commitment to respecting it." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend the meeting, which was attended by Giorgia Meloni.
Trump, Egyptian President al-Sisi, Turkish President Erdogan, and Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani (all mediating countries) signed the peace agreement.
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"What we have accomplished together in these last few days will change history and will be remembered forever," Donald Trump told leaders in Sharm El Sheikh, according to excerpts released by the White House. "This is the day people in this region and around the world have worked, fought, hoped, and prayed for," the American president added. "With the historic agreement we just signed, the prayers of millions have finally been answered. Together, we have accomplished the impossible. Finally, we have peace in the Middle East."
AGREEMENT SIGNED
Donald Trump signed the Gaza peace agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh. Shortly afterward, it was the turn of Egyptian President al-Sisi, with whom he co-chairs the Egyptian summit on the future of the Strip, Turkish President Erdogan, and Qatari Prime Minister al-Thani, all of whom brokered the agreement. The audience applauded.
«THE GAZA AGREEMENT DOCUMENT IS COMPLETE»
The Gaza agreement document "is truly comprehensive," US President Donald Trump said while speaking at the Sharm el-Sheikh peace conference in Egypt. "The document will provide the full rules and regulations."
TRUMP: "PHASE 2 OF THE DEAL HAS ALREADY BEGUN."
"Phase two of the Gaza agreement has already begun," Donald Trump said in Sharm el-Sheikh. The US president also said he wanted al-Sisi to join the Gaza Peace Council. "Many leaders want to be part of it," he added.
"HAMAS DOES NOT RESPECT THE AGREEMENTS"
Israel's Defense Minister says Hamas is "not fulfilling its obligations" by announcing the handover of only four bodies of Israeli hostages today. "The urgent task we are all committed to now is to ensure the return of all deceased hostages. Hamas's announcement today of the planned return of four bodies represents a breach of its obligations," Katz wrote on X. "Any delay or deliberate evasion will be considered a clear violation of the agreement and will be prosecuted accordingly," he added.
Over 1,900 Palestinians released
Israel says it has released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire agreement, CNN reports. More than 1,700 were held without charge after being held by Israeli forces in Gaza for the past two years. Approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to long-term prison terms by Israeli courts have been released in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, or deported to Egypt.
Hamas returns four bodies
Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades said they will hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages today, Sky News reports. Guy Iluz, Yossi Sharabi, Bevin Joshi, and Daniel Peres will be handed over, but the exact time is unclear.
TRUMP LEFT FOR SHARM
Donald Trump departed Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport for Sharm el-Sheikh, where he will attend a summit on the future of Gaza with several world leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted him on the tarmac, as he did on arrival. The US president's meeting with some of the freed hostages was also cancelled due to the significant delay in his mission schedule.
TRUMP: "HISTORIC DAWN OF A NEW MIDDLE EAST"
"We gather on a day of profound joy, growing hope, renewed faith , and, above all, a day to give our deepest thanks to the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After so many years of incessant wars and endless dangers, today the skies are clear, the guns are silent, the sirens no longer sound, and the sun rises over a Holy Land finally at peace. It is the historic dawn of a new Middle East ." These were US President Donald Trump's words in his address to the Knesset, according to excerpts from the speech released by the White House.
NETANYAHU: TRUMP'S NAME IN HISTORY
"Thank you, President Trump," Benjamin Netanyahu opened his speech in the Knesset alongside the US president. "Trump's name will go down in history," he added. "He is the greatest friend the State of Israel has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done this for Israel ." He continued: "Thank you for standing with Israel against the lies of the UN." These "monsters," Netanyahu added, referring to Hamas, "are taking children hostage. Israel did what it had to do and achieved an incredible victory against Hamas and Iran."
A BUS WITH PALESTINIAN PRISONERS IN RAMALLAH AND GAZA
Buses carrying several Palestinian prisoners released by Israel have arrived in Ramallah, Al Jazeera reports. Earlier, buses carrying released prisoners had also departed from the Negev Prison in southern Israel for Gaza.
TRUMP AT THE KNESSET
"This is my great honor. A great and beautiful day. A new beginning ." Donald Trump wrote this in the guestbook he signed at the Israeli Knesset.
THE OTHER THIRTEEN HOSTAGES RELEASED
Hamas released the remaining 13 hostages in the Khan Younis area . They were handed over to the Red Cross, as seen in videos broadcast on television. All the kidnapped people still alive have since been released.
TRUMP LANDS IN ISRAEL
Air Force One carrying US President Donald Trump landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
LIVE VIDEO CALL
In Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, a big screen broadcasts the phone call from the still-unreleased hostage Matan Tsengauker from Gaza to his mother, who has been fighting for his release for two years. Hamas allowed some of the hostages to call their families before their release. "Matan, you're coming home. You're all coming home. Thank God, the war is over. You're coming home. My life awaits you," said his mother, Einav.
THE RELEASE OF PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
All 1,966 Palestinian prisoners scheduled to be released from Israeli prisons have already boarded buses for their release, an official told Israeli media. Among the detainees are 250 convicted terrorism suspects who are scheduled to be released from Ofer Prison in the West Bank, but apparently only after Hamas has handed over the last hostages still held in Gaza.
TRUMP: "THE WAR IS OVER"
"The war is over." Donald Trump said this in response to a question about Gaza aboard Air Force One, according to Bloomberg. The American president departed for the Middle East, where he will first stop in Israel and then Egypt. He will remain in the region for approximately eight hours. Meanwhile, he is watching the livestream of the release, as reported by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. "History is being made now," Leavitt wrote.
MELONI: "A HISTORIC DAY"
"Today is a historic day. The hostages have been freed: an extraordinary achievement, the fruit of the determination of international diplomacy and the implementation of the first part of US President Donald Trump's peace plan ," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on social media.
VON DER LEYEN: "THE EU WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE GAZA PLAN"
"We are ready to contribute to the success" of the Gaza peace plan "with all the tools at our disposal. In particular, by providing support for the governance and reform of the Palestinian National Authority. We will be an active force within the Palestinian donor group. And we will provide EU funding for the reconstruction of Gaza." Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote this in X, calling the peace agreement a "milestone" and the release of the hostages "a moment of relief for the entire world."
Hamas: "Commitment to the agreement, Israel must respect it."
"We declare our commitment to the agreement reached and its timetable, provided Israel respects them," Hamas said in a statement immediately after the release of the first seven Israeli hostages.
HERZOG: "A MORNING OF GREAT HOPE"
"This is a morning of great hope and great prayer . A morning in which we expect and desire to see everyone home, every last one," declared Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
THE TWO-PHASE RELEASE
The families have been informed that the release of the Israeli hostages will take place in two phases , the first at 8 am (7 am Italian time) and the second between 9 am and 10 am, Israeli media reported.
HUNDREDS IN HOSTAGE SQUARE IN TEL AVIV
Since dawn today, hundreds and hundreds of people have been gathering in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv awaiting the release of the Israeli hostages by Hamas.
RED CROSS TOWARDS MEETING POINT IN NORTH GAZA
The IDF announced that the Red Cross is en route to a meeting point in the northern Gaza Strip where several hostages will be released.
- UPDATE IN PROGRESS –
(Unioneonline)
