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Israelis and Palestinians marked a pivotal moment on Monday as a major hostage and prisoner exchange unfolded, signaling a potential step towards ending the two-year conflict in Gaza.
In the initial phase of the US-brokered plan, Hamas released all living Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Emotional scenes unfolded as families of the Israeli hostages greeted their freed loved ones with tears of joy and heartfelt embraces.
Palestinians freed from Israeli jails were met with jubilant crowds waving flags as they arrived in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel shortly after the first hostages were reunited with their families. Addressing the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, he declared a “historic dawn in a new Middle East.”
President Trump then traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for a summit with over 20 leaders to discuss subsequent phases of his Gaza peace plan.
At the summit, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the US signed a declaration as guarantors of the ceasefire, aiming to end the two-year war that has devastated Gaza.
Despite the diplomatic achievements and joyous reunions, significant challenges remain in solidifying the ceasefire into a lasting peace.
The later stages of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan are fraught with potential obstacles, requiring intense negotiations to achieve progress.
Monday’s hostage and prisoner exchange marked the completion of the initial phase, following a ceasefire that began on Friday and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza over the weekend.
“I am overwhelmed with emotion and joy,” said Arbel Yehoud, a former hostage, who was reunited with her partner Ariel Cunio upon his release on Monday.
“For over two years, the hope of holding Ariel again is what sustained and drove me every single day,” she stated.
While the releases largely proceeded as planned, families of Israeli hostages expressed dismay that Hamas indicated it would only return the bodies of four deceased hostages.
The Israeli military announced it would conduct forensic tests to confirm the identities and inform the families.
It is believed that the remains of up to 24 other hostages are still in Gaza. According to Israeli media, the ceasefire agreement acknowledged that Hamas and other Palestinian factions might be unable to locate all the remains within the given timeframe.
As part of the agreement, approximately 1,700 Palestinian detainees held by Israel without charges were released.
A Palestinian woman reunited with her son expressed that her heart was finally at peace.
“Honestly, the happiness and joy is indescribable, despite the suffering… today we came to celebrate,” a Palestinian man commented.
Approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences were also released by Israel, with about 100 being freed into the occupied West Bank. Others were deported, and a small number were released into East Jerusalem.
As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they were met by enthusiastic cheers. However, many appeared pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk.
“There is joy, and there is pain, and there is happiness, and there is sorrow,” said Khalil Muhammad Abdulrahman Al-Qatrous, who waited outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to collect his son, who he said had been detained by Israel for about three months.
After being greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump visited the Knesset, delivering the first address by a US president since 2008.
“At last, not only for Israelis but also Palestinians, the long and painful nightmare is finally over,” he stated during the address, prompting some politicians to chant “Trump, Trump, Trump.”
A brief interruption occurred when an opposition member displayed a sign that read “Recognize Palestine.”
President Trump then traveled to Sharm El-Sheikh, where he met with over 20 world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and leaders from various Muslim and Arab countries.
He posed for photos with other leaders on a stage adorned with the words “Peace in the Middle East.”
Also in attendance was former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who, under President Trump’s plan, is slated to play a key role in a “Board of Peace” for Gaza, headed and chaired by the US President.
The plan proposes that Gaza will initially be governed by a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the “Board of Peace” before power is eventually transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) after reforms.
However, difficult negotiations will be necessary to advance the latter phases of the plan.
Points of contention include the extent and timeline of Israeli troop withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has previously stated it would not disarm without the establishment of a Palestinian state and has rejected foreign governance in Gaza.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has resisted any future involvement of the PA.
When asked about the start of phase two negotiations for a peace agreement, President Trump responded, “It’s started.”
“The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other,” he added.
Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2003, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and the taking of 251 hostages to Gaza.
Since then, more than 67,000 people have been killed by Israel’s offensive, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN and other international bodies. The UN reports that over 9 in 10 residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
The US president says the ceasefire will hold and the second phase of negotiations for a lasting peace are under way.
The European Broadcasting Union had previously announced it would hold a vote on Israel’s participation in November.
Israel says it has released 1,968 prisoners and detainees as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Families say it ends “two years of hell” and a journey of “healing and rehabilitation” will now begin.
Gill and Pete Brisley lost their daughter and two granddaughters in the 7 October attacks by Hamas.
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