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RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Four Palestinian prisoners freed from an Israeli jail on Saturday as part of the ongoing truce in Gaza were transferred to hospital on arrival in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the Red Crescent said.
“Our teams are transferring four released (Palestinian) prisoners from the location of reception to the hospital,” the Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement following the sixth hostage-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel.
CAIRO: Hamas deployed fighters in Gaza on Monday as a release of hostages seized in the October 7 attacks was under way, Reuters footage showed, in an apparent show of strength by the militant group which President Donald Trump says must disarm.
Reuters footage showed dozens of Hamas fighters lined up at a hospital in southern Gaza, and an armed man wearing the insignia of the Hamas armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. His shoulder patch identified him as a member of the elite “Shadow Unit,” which Hamas sources say is tasked with guarding hostages.
Israel has pummelled Hamas during its two-year-long Gaza offensive, killing thousands of its fighters and many of its leaders in the onslaught that turned much of the Palestinian territory into a wasteland.
Israel’s military said it had received the first seven of 20 surviving hostages after their transfer out of Gaza by the Red Cross.
The remaining 13 confirmed living hostages, along with the bodies of 26 dead hostages and another two whose fate is unknown, are also expected to be released on Monday, along with nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.
The release of the remaining hostages in Gaza along with the Palestinian prisoners is the first stage of Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war. A ceasefire has been in place since Friday.
The next phase of negotiations must address demands for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, the territory it has controlled since expelling President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority in 2007.
TEL AVIV: US President Donald Trump received a standing ovation from Israeli lawmakers ahead of his address to parliament during a brief visit to Israel after brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The applause lasted several minutes as lawmakers clapped and cheered Trump, who was accompanied by his special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and daughter Ivanka.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday that he is “committed to this peace” in a speech to parliament.
He added: “Today, the Jewish calendar marks the end of two years of war.”
Netanyahu also praised the US president for helping broker the first phase of a Gaza deal that saw the return of all living Israeli hostages.
Trump landed in Israel on Monday to celebrate the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, an agreement that he declared had effectively ended the war and opened the door to building a durable peace in the Middle East.
Air Force One did a flyover Monday of Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands have gathered, on the way to landing at Ben Gurion airport.
The flyover came just after the first seven living hostages arrived in Israel from Gaza. Over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released as well.
The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the plan, which included the release of Israeli hostages that have been held since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants.
With families overjoyed at the impending reunions and Palestinians eager for a surge of humanitarian assistance, Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.
“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.
The Republican president said the chance of peace was enabled by his administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The White House said momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States.
In February, Trump had predicted that Gaza could be redeveloped into what he called ” the Riviera of the Middle East.” But on Sunday aboard Air Force One, he was more circumspect.
“I don’t know about the Riviera for a while,” Trump said. “It’s blasted. This is like a demolition site.” But he said he hoped to one day visit the territory. “I’d like to put my feet on it, at least,” he said.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final 48 hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.
Trump will visit Israel first to meet with hostages’ families and address the Knesset, or parliament, an honor last extended to President George W. Bush in 2008.
The president then stops in Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.
Both Israel and Egypt announced that Trump would receive their counties’ highest civilian honors.
The truce remains tenuous and it is unclear whether the sides have reached any agreement on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and the territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions. Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
Roughly 200 US troops will help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.
The Hamas-run Prisoners Office says buses carrying dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners have arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah and in the Gaza Strip.
Israel is freeing more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees on Monday after Hamas freed all remaining living hostages held in Gaza under the two sides’ ceasefire deal.
The buses arrived in Ramallah after leaving Ofer prison, in the Israel-occupied West Bank, said the Prisoners Office. At least one bus also crossed into the Gaza Strip, it said.
Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that pummeled the territory.
The bodies of the 28 dead hostages are also expected to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.
Families and friends of the hostages who gathered in a square in Tel Aviv cheered as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers at public screenings across the country.
Later, Israel released the first photos of hostages arriving home.
Among them was a photo of Gali and Ziv Berman with expressions of disbelief as they reunited with each other. Hostages previously released said the 28-year-old twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.
In the initial photos, those released appeared less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.
Palestinians, meanwhile, awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. In the West Bank, an armored vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd waiting near Ofer Prison. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.
The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s military did not respond to questions about the flier, which The Associated Press obtained on site.
While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.
The ceasefire is also expected to be accompanied by a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday’s Gaza summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh because it coincides with a Jewish holiday, his office said.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Donald Trump to attend a conference in Egypt today,” his office said in a statement.
“The prime minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said he would be unable to attend due to the timing coinciding with the start of the holiday” of Simhat Torah, which begins Monday evening and continues until sunset Tuesday.
Earlier, Egypt’s presidency said Netanyahu had been invited to attend following a call between US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Israeli premier.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected at the international summit..
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the Egyptian announcement.
Trump earlier Monday landed in Israel to address its parliament.
As he entered the Knesset (parliament), Trump said Palestinian militant group Hamas would comply with a provision under his plan for it to disarm, though it has ruled this out.
Speaking to reporters before beginning his speech, Trump replied “yes” when asked whether Gaza’s war was over.
The Gaza ceasefire plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.
The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 US troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.
The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.
HASAKEH: Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi has announced to AFP that he had reached a “preliminary agreement” with Damascus on the integration of his troops into Syria’s military and security forces.
Abdi, who heads the powerful Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had met Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Damascus last week, along with US envoy Tom Barrack and US commander Brad Cooper.
While the Kurdish forces — who control large swathes of Syria’s oil-rich northeast — had signed an agreement with the new Syrian authorities in March to merge their civil and military institutions, the deal’s terms were not implemented.
“What is new in our recent talks in Damascus is the shared determination and strong will to accelerate the implementation of the terms” of the agreement, Abdi told AFP in an interview at a military base in the northeastern city of Hasakah on Sunday.
“The most important point is having reached a preliminary agreement regarding the mechanism for integrating the SDF and the (Kurdish) Internal Security Forces within the framework of defense and interior ministries,” he added.
The Washington-backed SDF and Kurdish security forces consist of around 100,000 male and female members, according to them.
The SDF played a vital role in the fight against the Daesh group in Syria, which ultimately led to the jihadist organization’s territorial defeat in the country in 2019.
Abdi said that military and security delegations from his forces are currently in Damascus to discuss the mechanism for their integration.
- Disagreements -
After the fall of longtime leader Bashar Assad in December, Sharaa announced the dissolution of all armed groups, to be absorbed by state institutions.
Abdi explained that “the SDF will be restructured through its integration into the defense ministry,” as part of several formations.
However, some disagreements remain.
“We demand a decentralized system in Syria... we have not agreed on it,” he added, as they are “still discussing finding a common formula acceptable to all.”
He stressed that they “agree on the territorial integrity of Syria, the unity of national symbols, the independence of political decision-making in the country, and the fight against terrorism.”
“We all agree that Syria should not return to the era of war, and that there should be stability and security. I believe these factors are sufficient for us to reach a permanent agreement.”
During the last meeting with Sharaa, Abdi said he had called for “modifying or adding some clauses to the existing constitutional declaration” announced in March, particularly those related to “guaranteeing the rights of the Kurdish people in the constitution.”
“There was a positive response to this matter, and we hope this will happen soon,” he added.
Abdi also expressed his gratitude to the United States and France for facilitating negotiations with Damascus.
Asked about Damascus’s main backer Turkiye, which has always been hostile to the SDF, Abdi said “any success of the negotiations will certainly depend on Turkiye’s role,” expressing hope that it will play a “supportive and contributing role in the ongoing negotiation process.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the SDF on Wednesday to “keep their word” and “complete their integration with Syria.”
When questioned on the region’s fossil fuel reserves, Abdi noted they “have not yet discussed the oil issue, but it will certainly be addressed in upcoming meetings.”
“Oil and other underground resources in northeastern Syria to belong to all Syrians, and their revenues and revenues must be distributed fairly across all Syrian provinces.”
