Gaza peace deal live: First Israeli hostages are released by Hamas | News World

That is how Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s assistant, has summed up today ahead of the president’s landing in Israel this morning.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has begun ‘a multi-phase operation’ to oversee the freeing of 20 hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners today.

‘The complex operation, which takes place on the request of the parties, is crucial to reuniting separated families,’ the humanitarian movement says.

‘As a part of previous release operations, the ICRC has facilitated the discharge and transfer of 148 hostages and 1,931 detainees since October 2023.

‘These operations are a strong example of how the ICRC’s role as a neutral intermediary can save and alter lives, provided that the parties come to an agreement.

‘It’s crucial that each one the relevant actors abide by their commitments to finish the pain and suffering endured by so many.’

The ICRC is overseeing the discharge, stressing it’s a neutral party and is ‘strictly humanitarian’

The US President is sort of in Israel, based on Rapid Response 47, an official White House social media account.

Trump is on account of land in Tel Aviv inside the following hour after which meet the families of Israeli captives afterwards.

Around 2,000 of the nearly 10,000 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released in exchange for the remaining Israeli captives.

Amongst them are 1,700 people detained from Gaza, while 250 have been serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

At the least 135 shall be deported to Gaza or exiled abroad, 100 shall be sent to the occupied West Bank and 15 shall be freed to East Jerusalem.

When the Palestinian prisoners shall be released continues to be unclear, though Israel has said it might achieve this after the hostages are freed. The Palestinian prison officials released a list earlier today, writing: ‘Freedom for prisoners.’

Hamas just released seven hostages into the custody of the Red Cross this morning, the primary to be released as a part of a ceasefire within the Israel-Hamas war.

They include:

• Gali Berman;
• Ziv Berman;
• Matan Angrest;
• Alon Ohel;
• Omri Miran;
• Eitan Mor;
• And Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Welcome to Metro’s live coverage of the peace deal struck between Israel and Hamas, the group which controls Gaza.

This blog is now closed. For the most recent updates, visit Metro’s UK page.

President Donald Trump set off for Israel and Egypt on Sunday to rejoice the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

It’s a fragile moment with Israel and Hamas only within the early stages of implementing the primary phase of the Trump agreement designed to bring a everlasting end to the war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants.

‘Very enthusiastic about this moment in time,’ Trump told reporters before Air Force One took off.

He said many individuals in each Israel and Arab countries were ‘cheering’ the agreement, adding that ‘everybody’s amazed and their thrilled and we’re going to have a tremendous time.’

The US ambassador to Israel has called Bridget Phillipson ‘delusional’ for suggesting the UK played a ‘key role’ within the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The education secretary told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that Britain had played a component ‘behind the scenes’, while acknowledging Trump’s ‘critical’ role within the deal.

‘We’ve played a key role behind the scenes in shaping this, it’s right that we achieve this since it’s in all of our interests, including our own national interest, that we move to a long-lasting peace within the region,’ she said.

But Mike Huckabee, who was a part of the US negotiating team, wrote on X: ‘I assure you she’s delusional. She will be able to thank Donald Trump any time simply to set the record straight.’

Ms Phillipson, a contender for the Labour deputy leadership, also got here under fire from Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel, who branded the UK’s decision to recognise Palestine as rewarding Hamas.

Humanitarian aid has begun flowing into Gaza because the ceasefire deal held for a 3rd day.

Supplies of cooking gas have entered the strip for the primary time since March, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed.

Fruit, flour and meat are also amongst aid going through.

The primary Israeli hostages held in Gaza shall be released tomorrow morning.

Israel Hayom reports that the handover will occur in two rounds, the primary of which can happen at 8am.

A complete of 48 hostages are currently being held in Gaza, of which 20 are alive, in exchange for which Israel is to release 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

JD Vance has insisted that US Army boots won’t land on the bottom to during hostage swaps between Israel and Hamas.

US soldiers will ‘oversee peacekeeping efforts’, the vice chairman said.

‘That’s all the pieces from ensuring that the Israeli troops are on the agreed-upon line, ensuring that Hamas is just not attacking innocent Israelis [and] doing all the pieces that they will to make sure the peace that we’ve created actually sustains and endures,’ Vance told ABC’s This Week programme.

‘But the concept that we’re going to have troops on the bottom in Gaza, in Israel, that is just not our intention. That is just not our plan.’

Other Muslim-majority states have offered to send ground forces to Gaza to make sure ‘the vital peacekeeping takes place’.

‘That’s not something the US goes to be expected to do. That’s something the Muslim world goes to step up and do,’ Vance said.

JD Vance’s claim that the Israeli hostages could be released ‘any moment now’ have been premature.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokeswoman now says the hostage release will happen early Monday morning.

‘Israel is ready and is prepared to instantly receive all of our hostages. The discharge of our hostages will begin early Monday morning’, she told reporters.

‘We predict all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross and transported amongst six to eight vehicles with none sick displays by Hamas.’

In response to the Coordinator of Prisoners and Missing Individuals, Gal Hirsch, for each abducted fallen soldier returned to Israel, Israel will release 15 Hamas bodies.

Israel intends to approve the entry of bulldozers and special equipment, in addition to experts for operations in the sector to locate the fallen.

Hirsch said that ‘we intend to act as quickly as possible to finish the return of all of the fallen who is not going to be returned tomorrow’.

‘There shall be places where we’ll direct Hamas and share information, and acquire information from Hamas, with the intention to operate like a special investigation team.’

He acknowledged the excavation process would mean the deadline for midday on Monday would likely be missed.

Bedrosian has also given an update on the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences, who shall be freed.

‘What we’re saying immediately is that the Palestinian prisoners shall be released once Israel has confirmation that each one of our hostages… cross the border into Israel,’ she said.

‘And once we’ve that confirmation, we predict that the prisoners will already be on the buses.

‘Once the confirmation comes through, they’ve crossed into Israeli territory, those buses will start [to go].’

Israel has published an inventory of the 250 convicted Palestinians to be released, though the Palestinian prisoner agency has yet to release a full list, earlier cautioning that any online lists are ‘inaccurate’.

Shosh Bedrosian, the spokesperson on the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, has given an update on the hostage release plan.

Confirming the roughly 20 living hostages shall be released Monday morning, she added: ‘We predict all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross.’

They shall be taken in six to eight vehicles and not using a ‘sick’ display by Hamas, referring to a ceremony or show by the group.

The hostages will reunite with their families after a drive to southern Israel – medical aid shall be provided.

Hamas has called for Israel to release seven high-profile prisoners as a part of the cease-fire agreement, a source told the BBC.

This could include Marwan Barghouti, a politician sometimes nicknamed ‘the Palestinian Mandela’, and the secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ahmad Sa’adat.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences in Israel after being convicted of orchestrating a deadly rebellion in 2002, the Second Intifada.

Sa’adat is serving a 30-year sentence for leading what Israel designates as a terrorist organisation.

Nearly 10,000 Palestinians are in Israeli prisons, based on the monitoring group, Btselem.

Israel has finally allowed the UN to deliver larger amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Gazans have lived for nearly 20 years under a partial blockade imposed by Israel after Hamas seized control in 2007.

But Israel tightened its siege earlier this yr, not allowing food, fuel and even medicine, something that human rights groups have said violates international law.

A part of the cease-fire agreement is that more aid be allowed into Gaza, which is gripped by widespread hunger and dwindling medical supplies.

Today, photographs show aid trucks arriving at Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt this morning. What number of have actually entered, nevertheless, is unclear.