Hamas To Release Hostages On Monday As Part Of Peace Deal
Key Facts
- Hamas confirmed that the release of the remaining Israeli hostages will begin Monday morning under a deal mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is arriving in Israel around the same time.
- The agreement calls for Hamas to hand over 48 hostages — 20 believed to be alive — by noon Monday in exchange for Israel releasing about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
- Hamas has rejected disarmament as “non-negotiable,” even as the peace plan requires the group to lay down arms
- Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Gaza and met hostage families in Tel Aviv ahead of the exchange.
- Trump is scheduled to address the Knesset in Jerusalem and co-chair a summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh with world leaders, where the ceasefire and Gaza’s future will be discussed.
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Hamas says the release of the remaining Israeli hostages will begin on Monday morning. “According to a written deal, the exchange of prisoners will start on Monday morning, as agreed,” confirmed Hamas official Osama Hamdan.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who is due to arrive in Israel late Sunday or early Monday, had already indicated he expected the hostages to be freed starting Monday morning.
Under the terms of the agreement with Israel, Hamas has until 12:00 p.m. Israel time Monday to complete the handover of 48 hostages, of whom 20 are believed to be alive, according to Israeli officials.
In exchange, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, according to sources familiar with the talks.
The hostage issue stems from the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, when the group killed about 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, several hostage releases have taken place under temporary truces, but 48 remain unaccounted for, including both living and deceased captives.
HAMAS REJECTS DISARMAMENT
The exchanges are part of a peace deal reached earlier this week between Israel and Hamas, building on Trump’s 20-point plan. Under the accord, the Israeli army will also withdraw from Gaza.
However, Hamas vowed not to disarm, despite requirements in the peace plan drafted by President Trump. “Disarmament is out of the question and non-negotiable,” a Hamas representative said Saturday.
Ahead of the expected prisoner exchanges, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the Gaza Strip on Saturday under Israeli army escort, according to footage released by the Israel Defense Forces.
The commander of CENTCOM, the U.S. military’s Middle East command, also joined the visit.
Later that day, Witkoff and Kushner met with families of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv, offering reassurances that “every effort is being made” to bring their loved ones home.
Separately, the White House confirmed that President Trump will address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem in the coming days, following an invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
TRUMP TO ADDRESS KNESSET
Trump is expected to outline the next steps in the peace process and call on both Israelis and Palestinians to “turn a historic page toward peace and security.”
Israeli officials said the address could take place as early as Tuesday afternoon, depending on the implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
With the prospect of peace drawing near, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will attend Monday’s summit in Egypt, where the future of Gaza will be discussed, officials said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also be present, his office confirmed.
The high-profile meeting, held in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, will be chaired by President Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The Élysée Palace, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that Macron will also travel to Egypt on Monday.
Starmer’s office said the peace agreement will be ceremonially signed during the summit, although a Hamas representative said the group would not attend the event.
END OF WAR?
“We are not involved in the official signing,” the Hamas spokesman said, noting that the ceasefire talks were conducted mainly through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Yet the ceasefire talks are aimed at ending the war sparked by the Hamas massacre and giving hope to a more peaceful future for the Middle East.
The more than two-year war has killed some 67,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-linked authorities.
However, those figures have been difficult to verify independently, and the Hamas-run Health Ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Israel claims to have killed tens of thousands of fighters of Hamas, which it designated as a terrorist organization.
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