The ceasefire in Gaza held Sunday for the third day since the agreement was signed, ahead of a planned exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and an international summit seeking to pave the way for peace after two years of war.
The Islamist group Hamas announced Sunday afternoon that it was preparing to fulfill its part of the first phase of the agreement. According to the Qatari network Al Jazeera, citing a member of the organization, the movement has completed the count of the live hostages to be released in Gaza and their distribution among the various points from which they will be released.
Hamas members were scheduled to meet with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday evening to agree on a mechanism for the release of the 20 alleged captives alive. They will then have to hand over the 28 bodies of hostages held in the enclave to the organization, Al Jazeera reported.
The Hamas source also assured the Qatari network that the hostages will be released from three different locations throughout the Strip.
From Israel, government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said yesterday at a press conference that the 20 living captives will be released this morning.
Red Cross personnel will be responsible for receiving the captives and handing them over to the army in areas of Gaza"controlled by Israeli forces," the spokesperson explained, adding that only then will they be taken to the Reim military base, about six kilometers from the dividing line, already on Israeli soil.
There, they will undergo an initial medical examination and will be able to meet with their families before being transferred to a hospital.
Regarding the 28 dead hostages, the spokeswoman did not specify whether their return will take place simultaneously or immediately after the return of the living. But she did say that the Red Cross will hand over the remains to troops in Gaza, and that a"brief ceremony" and Jewish prayers will take place inside the Palestinian enclave. Only once the return of all the hostages held in Gaza is confirmed will Israel do its part by freeing the nearly 2,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
"As soon as we have confirmation that they (the hostages) have entered Israeli territory, the buses will leave," the spokesperson added.
What Israel has already allowed was the entry on Sunday of some 400 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from Egypt. Meanwhile, Hamas is insisting on the release of seven prominent Palestinian leaders.
“It will be a very special moment,” said US President Donald Trump yesterday before leaving for Tel Aviv, where he will meet with the families of the hostages on Monday and later give a speech to the Israeli parliament (Knesset).
On the eve of this highly anticipated global event, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared yesterday that his country had achieved “enormous victories” in the war against Hamas in Gaza, but warned that “the fight is not over.”
For his part, a source within the Islamist movement close to the negotiations stated that"Hamas will not participate at all in the transition phase, which means it has relinquished control of the Strip, but remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian social fabric."
US-led summit in Egypt
Another event of great interest will take place on Monday in Egypt, where Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Donald Trump will chair the peace summit on Gaza.
The meeting aims to"end the war in Gaza, intensify efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability," according to the Egyptian president's office.
Around thirty world leaders will attend the ceremony, including the heads of state of Qatar, France, Turkey, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and others. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also confirmed his attendance.
