October 12, 2025, 6:35 PM

Al Sheikh (PLO) meets Blair:"Ready to collaborate on Gaza"

“Today I met with Tony Blair to discuss the aftermath of the war and efforts to ensure the success of President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the conflict and establish lasting peace in the region. We reaffirmed our willingness to work with the US President, Blair, and partners to consolidate the ceasefire, the entry of aid, the release of hostages and prisoners, and then begin recovery and reconstruction,” Hussein Al Sheikh, vice president of the PLO, wrote on X. “We stressed the importance of ending the weakening of the Palestinian Authority (PNA), particularly by returning withheld Palestinian revenues, and preventing the undermining of the two-state solution in preparation for a comprehensive and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy,” he added.

• Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Egypt is working on security arrangements at various levels, including training and coordinating up to 5,000 Palestinian personnel to be deployed in Gaza, along with Jordan. Egypt has also committed to sending its troops within a"specific parameter," provided the UN Security Council approves their mandate, he said, as reported by Haartez. "Knock on wood, we are confident that the hostages will be released" and that Donald Trump will meet and greet them "in person." US Vice President JD Vance said this in an interview with Fox, emphasizing that the first phase of the peace agreement's implementation is a"great day" for the families of the hostages but also "a great day for the entire world. We are on the brink of a sustainable peace." "Today I met with Tony Blair to discuss the day after the war and efforts to ensure the success of President Donald Trump's efforts to end the conflict and establish lasting peace in the region. We reaffirmed our willingness to work with the US president, Blair, and partners to consolidate the ceasefire, secure the entry of aid, release hostages and prisoners, and then begin recovery and reconstruction." This was written on X Hussein Al Sheikh, vice president of the PLO. “We stressed the importance of ending the weakening of the Palestinian National Authority” (PNA), “in particular by returning withheld Palestinian revenues, and preventing the weakening of the two-state solution in preparation for a comprehensive and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy,” he added.
The
• Times of Israel reported that it has learned that Israel has communicated to the families of the hostages that the release is expected to take place between 4 and 6 tomorrow morning (i.e. between 3 and 5 Italian time ), specifying however that the schedule is still subject to change. According to the Times of Israel, Israel will be informed by the Red Cross two hours before the hostages' release.
Senior
• Hamas official Hussam Badran confirmed that the live hostages will be released tomorrow at several locations in the Gaza Strip, according to what he told the Qatari daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed , reported by the Times of Israel. The Israeli government has said it expects the release of the hostages still alive early tomorrow morning.
• "We expect all 20 of our alive hostages to be released simultaneously to the Red Cross and transported in six to eight vehicles," an Israeli government spokesperson said. The hostages will then be escorted to the military base to be reunited with their families or, if necessary, immediately to a hospital. Only then will Israel release approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. At least 67,806 Palestinians
have been
• killed and 170,066 others have been injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said. An uncertain number of victims"are still under the rubble and on the streets, as ambulance and civil defense teams are not yet able to reach them." Hamas has "completed preparations" for the release of the hostages alive, according to sources close to the negotiations, who reiterate that the movement continues to demand the release of Palestinian leaders in exchange for the hostages. The ceasefire in the fighting in Gaza has allowed rescuers to search for bodies buried under the rubble in previously inaccessible areas. According to local health authorities, 233 bodies have been recovered and transported to hospitals since the ceasefire went into effect on Friday. Yasser el-Bureis, who was at the morgue of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said on Sunday that he and his relatives had finally recovered the bodies of his two cousins, killed months earlier while trying to flee their homes."For five months, we haven't been able to recover the bodies," he said.