EU to restart Gaza-Egypt border monitoring mission Wednesday
EU to restart Gaza-Egypt border monitoring mission Wednesday/node/2618704/middle-east
EU to restart Gaza-Egypt border monitoring mission Wednesday
Members of the Red Crescent stand near a truck loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, waiting to get access to the Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 9 sec ago
AFP
EU to restart Gaza-Egypt border monitoring mission Wednesday
Civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in support of the ceasefire deal
Updated 9 sec ago
AFP
BRUSSELS: The European Union will Wednesday restart a civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in support of a ceasefire deal, the bloc’s top diplomat said Monday.
“The EU stands ready to do its part,” Kaja Kallas posted on X after Hamas released a first group of Israeli hostages as part of the US-brokered agreement. “This mission can play an important role in supporting the ceasefire,” she said.
Trump lands in Israel to tout a ceasefire he believes could foster lasting Middle East peace
Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the Mideast and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors
First phase of deal calls for the release of the final 48 hostages held by Hamas, and release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel
Updated 3 sec ago
AP
TEL AVIV: President Donald 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, Israel, where tens of thousands have gathered, on the way to landing in Israel.
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.
Seven hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza now in Israeli custody
Hamas has said 20 living hostages will be exchanged for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel
Updated 1 min 48 sec ago
Agencies
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said that the seven living hostages earlier freed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were now in Israeli custody.
“We’ve been waiting 738 days to say this: Welcome home,” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X, identifying the released captives as Guy Gilboa Dalal, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Gali and Ziv Berman and Omri Miran.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the release the hostages and said that Israel is awaiting the release of all remaining captives.
“With thanks to God we welcome our loved ones. We are waiting for everyone – every last one,” Herzog posted on X after the Israeli army confirmed it had received the first group of seven hostages released from Gaza.
Hamas earlier released the hostages into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday, the first to be freed as part of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. There was no immediate information on their condition.
The hostages will cross into Israel and be transferred to a military base to be reunited with their families. They will then be taken by helicopter to Israeli hospitals.
Hamas has said 20 living hostages will be exchanged for over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Families and friends of hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross.
Tens of thousands of Israelis are watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv.
The Red Cross said on Monday it had begun “a multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of hostages and prisoners as part of the Israel-Hamas war ceasefire.
The Red Cross said it will receive hostages held in the Gaza Strip to transfer them to Israeli authorities, while also overseeing the release of prisoners to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Red Cross “will also facilitate the transfer of remains of the deceased so that families can bury their loved ones with dignity,” it added.
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The Israeli military earlier said a Red Cross convoy is on its way to pick up a first batch of Israeli hostages to be freed by Hamas as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
An army statement said the handover would take place at “a meeting point in the northern Gaza Strip where several hostages will be transferred.”
“The IDF is prepared to receive additional hostages who are expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later on,” it added after Hamas’s armed wing published a list of 20 surviving hostages it intends to release.
Hamas publishes a list of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it says will be released in truce
The International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to oversee the releases after Hamas offered a list of the 20 living hostages it would release as part of the deal
Updated 13 October 2025
AP
CAIRO: Hamas on Monday published a list of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said will be released in Israel-Hamas war ceasefire. The release comes after the militant group offered a list of the 20 living hostages it would release as part of the deal.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to oversee the releases.
The ceasefire, which began noon Friday (0900 GMT), is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and the Hamas militant group.
The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. The war in Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, local health officials there say.
Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the return of the dead, in the key exchange of the breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war.
Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. US President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the US-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.
While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.
Living hostages expected first
Hamas released a list early Monday morning of the 20 living hostages it will free as part of the ceasefire.
Major Israeli TV stations were airing special overnight broadcasts ahead of the hostages’ release as anticipation grew. People began to gather near a large screen in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before dawn.
“It’s very exciting,” said Meir Kaller, who spent a sleepless night there.
The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.
As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.
With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.
Israel expects the living hostages to be released together Monday. They will be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Israeli military, which will take them to the Reim military base to be reunited with families.
It is unlikely that the remains of up to 28 other hostages will be returned at the same time. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.
The timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.
While Israel considers the prisoners to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after people are released, according to a prisoner’s family and a Palestinian official familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.
Red Cross vehicles were seen driving in both Gaza and Israel early Monday.
Trump in Israel and Egypt
Trump was first visiting Israel, where a White House schedule said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.
“The war is over,” Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold.
Trump will continue to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” Monday with regional and international leaders.
Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected any role in postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the US plan leaves the possibility open if his Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.
Other key questions in the ceasefire deal have yet to be resolved, including the future governance of Gaza and who will pay for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to ensure that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned Israel could do it “the hard way.” Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.
The Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north and the wide strip along Gaza’s border with Israel.
Under the US plan, an international body will govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.
The plan 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.
‘Much of Gaza is a wasteland’
The United Nations has said Israel so far has approved 190,000 metric tons of aid to enter Gaza, which was besieged after Israel ended the previous ceasefire in March.
The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza said the amount of aid entering was expected to increase Sunday to around 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the agreement.
“Much of Gaza is a wasteland,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the AP on Sunday. He said the UN has a plan for the next two months to restore basic medical and other services, bring in thousands of tons of food and fuel and remove rubble.
Two years of war
The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
The toll will grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.
The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90 percent of its 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
World leaders throw their weight behind the Gaza ceasefire deal
The summit in Sharm el Sheikh comes on the same day that Hamas is to release its 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel is to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, crucial steps after a ceasefire began on Friday
Leaders from Turkiye, Jordan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, the United Nations and European Union also have all said they will attend
Updated 13 October 2025
AP
SHARM EL SHEIKH: The US and Egyptian presidents are chairing a gathering of world leaders dubbed “the Summit for Peace” to support ending the two-year war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal.
Israel and Hamas have no direct contacts and are not expected to attend Monday’s summit. Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader is coming.
Leaders from Turkiye, Jordan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, the United Nations and European Union also have all said they will attend.
The summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh comes on the same day that Hamas is to release its 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel is to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, crucial steps after a ceasefire began on Friday.
But major questions remain unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of slide back into war.
So why are the world leaders meeting?
A new page
The two sides came under pressure from the United States, Arab countries and Turkiye to agree on the ceasefire’s first phase.
Israel and Hamas need international and regional technical and financial support to get through many complex issues.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s office said the summit aims to “end the war” in Gaza and “usher in a new page of peace and regional stability” in line with US President Donald Trump’s vision.
In March, Egypt proposed a postwar plan for Gaza that would allow its 2.3 million people to remain. At the time, that was a counterproposal to a Trump plan to depopulate the territory.
The two leaders co-chairing the international summit signals that they are working together on a path forward.
Directly tackling the remaining issues in depth is unlikely at the gathering, expected to last about two hours. El-Sisi and Trump are expected to issue a joint statement after it ends.
Under the first phase, Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to return home from areas they were forced to evacuate. Aid groups are preparing to bring in large quantities of aid kept out of the territory for months.
Hostage and prisoner exchange: Logistical challenge
The negotiations will have to tackle the issues of disarming Hamas, creating a post-war government for Gaza and the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from the territory. Trump’s plan also stipulates that regional and international partners will work to develop the core of a new Palestinian security force.
Another major issue is raising funds for rebuilding Gaza. The World Bank, and Egypt’s postwar plan, estimate reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza at $53 billion. Egypt plans to host a future reconstruction conference.
Who is missing?
Israel and Hamas.
The two primary parties to the conflict — staunch enemies who have little trust in each other and a number of failed negotiations behind them — are not attending.
Negotiations in Doha and in previous rounds were indirect, with Egypt and Qatar as meditators.
Iran, a main backer of Hamas, is not attending either.
Iran finds itself at one of its weakest moments since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian officials portrayed the ceasefire deal as a victory for Hamas but it underlined Iran’s waning influence in the region and revived concerns over possible renewed conflict with Israel as it still struggles to recover from the 12-day war in June.
A state function
The conference is likely to see world leaders praise Trump’s push for the ceasefire. For his part, El-Sisi is almost certainly relieved that Egypt has warded off plans to depopulate the Gaza Strip.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to attend. Turkiye, which hosted Hamas political leaders for years, played a key role in bringing about the ceasefire agreement. Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are also expected.
King Abdullah of Jordan is among the expected attendees. His country, alongside Egypt, will train the new Palestinian security force.
Germany, one of Israel’s strongest international backers and top suppliers of military equipment, plans to be represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He has expressed concern over Israel’s conduct of the war and its plan for a military takeover of Gaza. He plans on co-hosting the reconstruction of Gaza conference with Egypt.
Britain’s Prime Minister is Keir Starmer is among the leaders who plans to attend. He has said will pledge 20 million British pounds (27 million dollars) to help provide water and sanitation for Gaza and said Britain will host a three-day conference to coordinate plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and recovery.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Union President António Costa and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have also said they will be attending.
The venue
Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has been host to many peace negotiations in the past decades.
Sharm el-Sheikh was briefly occupied by Israel for a year in 1956. After Israel withdrew, a United Nations peacekeeping force was stationed there until 1967, when Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the peacekeepers to leave, a move that precipitated the Six-Day War that year.
Sharm el-Sheikh and the rest of the Sinai Peninsula were returned to Egypt in 1982, following a 1979 peace treaty with Israel.
The town — now known for a luxury beach resort, dive sites and desert tours — also hosted many peace summits and rounds of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians under President Hosni Mubarak, ousted in 2011. Under El-Sisi, the city has also been hosted many international conferences Monday’s is it’s first peace summit under him.
‘The war is over’: Trump to be lauded in Israel as long-held hostages return home
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began his flight from Washington to Israel
Trump is to address the Israeli parliament amid fragile ceasefire
Updated 13 October 2025
Reuters
JERUSALEM/CAIRO: US President Donald Trump will receive a hero’s welcome in Israel’s parliament on Monday as a fragile Gaza ceasefire he helped to broker enters a fourth day, with the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners marking tentative steps in a conflict long resistant to resolution.
Trump’s Knesset speech follows two years of war sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people in Israel with 251 taken hostage. Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have since devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, the enclave’s health officials say.
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began his flight from Washington to Israel. Asked about prospects for the region, he said: “I think it’s going to normalize.”
The UN said humanitarian aid was ramping up, with cooking gas entering for the first time since March and expanded food and medical deliveries.
A lasting peace seems distant
The truce and the exchange of both hostages and prisoners offered a glimmer of hope, but despite Trump’s optimism, the loss of life, devastation and trauma underscored how distant a lasting peace remains. Progress now hinges on global commitments that could be taken up by a summit later on Monday of more than 20 world leaders led by Trump in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend the summit in Egypt, an Axios reporter said on Sunday, citing a senior Palestinian official. No Israeli officials will attend.
Israel expects the remaining hostages to begin returning early on Monday, with 20 survivors to be released together, followed by the handover of 28 others — 26 dead and two whose fate is unknown.
The Israeli Justice Ministry released the names of 250 Palestinians convicted of murder and other serious crimes due to be released in the exchange. The list excluded high-profile figures such as senior Hamas commanders as well as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat — key demands from Hamas. Talks over the final list were ongoing, said the Hamas prisoners information office. Also to be released were 1,700 Gazans detained since October 7, 2023.
On the ground, Palestinians returning to northern Gaza described scenes of staggering destruction.
“We couldn’t believe the devastation,” said Rami Mohammad-Ali, 37, who walked 15 km (9 miles) with his son from Deir al Balah to Gaza City. “We are joyful to return, but bitter about the destruction,” he added, recounting the sight of human remains scattered along the roads.
Israelis boo Netanyahu, cheer Trump
Multitudes who gathered late on Saturday at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheered and waved placards in praise of Trump during a speech by his special envoy Steve Witkoff but booed loudly when Witkoff sought to thank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his role in the ceasefire effort.
Trump will become only the fourth US president to address the Knesset, following Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bill Clinton in 1994 and George W. Bush in 2008.
In a letter last week inviting Trump to deliver a formal address, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana wrote: “The people of Israel regard you as the greatest friend and ally of the Jewish nation in modern history.”
Israeli critics of Netanyahu, including hostages’ families, accuse him of deliberately prolonging the conflict to placate his far-right government coalition partners, whose backing is crucial to his political survival. The International Criminal Court last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Israel denies.
“Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path. A path of building, a path of healing, and I hope – a path of uniting hearts,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Sunday.
The US, along with Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, mediated what has been described as a first phase agreement between Israel and Hamas. The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for an international body — a “Board of Peace” led by Trump.
Trump had said earlier that Tony Blair could play a role on the board but on Sunday he questioned whether Blair, the former British prime minister, would be acceptable given criticisms of his role in the Iraq War.
Much could still go wrong. Further steps in Trump’s 20-point plan have yet to be agreed. Those include how Gaza is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel’s demands that it disarm.
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said it would deploy security forces in areas where the Israeli army withdrew. It was unclear whether armed militants would return to the streets in significant numbers, which Israel would see as a provocation.
Tense negotiations over release of Palestinian prisoners
Israel and Hamas were locked in tense, albeit indirect, negotiations over the list of Palestinian prisoners to be freed. Sources close to Hamas said Israel had backtracked on a previously agreed list that included senior militant leaders, raising fears of a breakdown in the fragile deal.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that once the hostages were back, the military would proceed to destroy Hamas’ underground tunnel network in Gaza.
Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah told Reuters in Cairo the Trump plan had been crafted to favor Israel, allowing it to dictate terms and shift blame.
“If they choose to backtrack, they can find excuses and blame Hamas. Meanwhile, Hamas, the weaker party, loses all leverage once it hands over the hostages,” Attallah said.
