In a major breakthrough, Hamas has released seven surviving Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, marking the first step in the long-awaited Gaza ceasefire deal. Earlier on Monday, a Red Cross convoy was dispatched to retrieve the hostages under tight coordination with the Israeli military, signaling cautious optimism on both sides.
The release comes as part of a broader agreement involving a hostage-prisoner exchange. Under the deal, Hamas is expected to free 47 Israeli hostages — both living and deceased — in return for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained since the outbreak of the war. The group will also hand over the remains of a soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza conflict.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has departed for Israel and Egypt, where he will co-chair the Gaza Peace Summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The historic meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh brings together over 20 world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to discuss lasting peace and stability in the region.
Despite the summit’s global scale, neither Israel nor Hamas will attend. However, mediators from the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey are expected to sign a document formalizing an end to hostilities in Gaza.
On the humanitarian front, aid convoys continue to roll into the war-torn strip. Over 200 trucks, including those carrying fuel and cooking gas, have entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, while thousands of displaced Palestinians are making their way back into the devastated city.
As calm tentatively returns, Hamas has hinted that it will not take part in governing post-war Gaza, though it insists disarmament is “out of the question.” The coming days will test whether this fragile truce can pave the way for a sustainable peace — or if it’s just another pause in Gaza’s long cycle of conflict.
