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Hamas has handed over the twenty surviving Israeli hostages from Gaza to the Red Cross. The first seven hostages were transferred through the Netzarim corridor and subsequently received and medically examined by the Israeli army. The remaining thirteen were handed over in the southern Gaza Strip. Thousands gathered in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, welcoming the release with great joy. Nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees were released in buses as part of the swap deal. US President Donald Trump received a hero's welcome in Israel and will later travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for a peace summit on Gaza.

Trump signs Gaza peace plan: 'This took 3,000 years, can you believe it?'

An agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was finalized at the international summit in Egypt. Mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, along with US President Trump, signed the document in Sharm el-Sheikh, as shown in television footage.

As Donald Trump did so, the US president said,"This has lasted 3,000 years, can you believe it? And it's going to last." The green folder Trump signed was passed on to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They also signed the document."This is an incredible day for the world," Trump said."Everyone is happy," Trump declared, after which the ceremony ended.

An international summit will follow later on Monday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron will also be present.

3 minutes ago

Trump leaves Gaza 'peace summit' after signing agreement

Barely three hours after arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh for a hastily arranged summit on the future of Gaza, Donald Trump left the Egyptian resort town. There, the US president signed the peace plan that was brokered under US pressure.

Trump said, among other things, that the agreement marked"a new day, a wonderful day" for the Middle East and also expressed gratitude to the countries that contributed to "this incredible breakthrough" in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Part of the US 20-point plan signed in Sharm el-Sheikh includes the release of prisoners and the repatriation of the bodies of the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip. While the summit was underway in Egypt, Hamas handed over four bodies of deceased hostages to the Red Cross. Earlier in the day, Israel also released nearly 2,000 prisoners.

58 minutes ago

Donald Trump should receive the Order of the Nile for his role in bringing about the Gaza ceasefire, according to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, co-organizer of the Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit. According to al-Sisi, Egypt's highest honor—a knighthood—is only awarded to"heads of state or those who have made great contributions to humanity."

In his speech following the signing of the US 20-point plan, al-Sisi also said that Palestinians"have the right to self-determination, as well as the right to dream of a future in which no war looms over them."

The Egyptian leader went on to speak, as Trump had in his speech preceding al-Sisi's, of a"historic moment that ends a painful chapter" in Middle Eastern history.

Today 17:05

Second pair of hostages also died en route to Israel

Hamas has handed over the last two bodies of deceased hostages to Red Cross workers. They are on their way to Israeli soldiers in the area, the Israeli army reported on X. The first two coffins had already been handed over to the aid organization an hour earlier.

Israel will first inspect and identify the bodies, after which the families of the deceased will be informed. The armed forces add that Hamas is obligated to hand over the bodies under the terms of the ceasefire just signed in Egypt. Earlier in the day, the militant organization said on Monday that it would hand over a total of four bodies. That now appears to have happened.

Israel

Today 15:23

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Israel

Today 15:08

Hostage Forum calls for Gaza deal implementation to be paused until all bodies are handed over

The Forum of the Families of Hostages and Missing is calling for the implementation of the Gaza deal to be suspended until all bodies of deceased hostages have been returned, the BBC reports. According to the organization, Hamas violated the ceasefire because not all bodies were expected to be returned to Israel by Monday.

"An agreement must be honored by both parties. If Hamas does not fulfill its part, Israel must also not fulfill its part," the statement said. During the negotiations, Hamas had already indicated that it would be difficult to recover the bodies of all the hostages killed. Israel was also aware of this.

Israel

Today 2:54 PM

Israel: Red Cross retrieves first dead hostages

The Red Cross is on its way to retrieve the first remains of deceased hostages in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army reported on X.

According to Israel, the organization is en route to a meeting point in southern Gaza, where several coffins containing the hostages' bodies are waiting to be handed over to the Red Cross. The Israeli army adds that the dead must first be identified, after which their families will be notified.

Israel

Today 14:44

Today 13:57

Trump left for Egypt for Gaza summit

US President Donald Trump has left Israel for Egypt. He is expected there at a meeting on Gaza, where the ceasefire and the future of the Palestinian territory will be discussed.

Several world leaders are already present in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will receive them there.

Trump gave a speech earlier in the day in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. That session ran over, meaning Trump arrived in Egypt considerably later than expected. He was originally expected at 1:30 p.m. Dutch time.

Israel

Today 13:29

Israel

Today 13:05

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Palestinian Territories

Israel

Today 12:51

Palestinian prisoners arrive in southern Gaza after release

The prisoners released by Israel arrived in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday. Footage from Al Jazeera news channel shows a large crowd surrounding the buses the Palestinians were reportedly on.

In Ramallah in the West Bank, another Palestinian territory, many people gathered in celebration of the return of prisoners. Israel had exchanged them for the last surviving Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

A total of approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were to be released. They left prisons in buses.