The first phase of the agreement on Gaza is proceeding smoothly and indeed there could be an acceleration. After the entry into force of the ceasefire and the partial withdrawal of the IDF, the Israelis began moving Palestinian prisoners with long sentences to be exchanged for the 48 hostages, who are expected to be released by Hamas between Sunday night and Monday morning. In time for Donald Trump’s arrival in Israel and the official signing of the agreement in Egypt.
In the meantime, the 200 US soldiers who will have to monitor the truce have arrived in Israel, even if they will not be deployed in the Strip, the head of Centcom clarified. And for the displaced people returning to the ruins of the enclave, 500 thousand so far, the UN has received authorization to resume sending aid and the first trucks have entered. A stop came from Hamas on the second phase of the plan. The faction claims that its disarmament “is out of the question”.
The Israeli authorities, with the truce in force, have gathered around 250 “security detainees”, including life prisoners, who will be part of the exchange, into two prisons. One group, transferred to Ketziot penitentiary, will be released to Gaza through Rafah. Another, which will go to the West Bank, is located in the Ofer facility. In the meantime, Hamas is also rounding up hostages, Trump said.
According to a CNN source, the Israeli abductees (of which around twenty are still believed to be alive) should be delivered to various locations with a timescale not yet defined. The 72-hour deadline set in the agreement is Monday noon but the exchange could take place several hours earlier. Meanwhile in Gaza, the return flow of Palestinians who fled the fighting continues, returning to Gaza City and Khan Younis to check the conditions of their homes, mostly destroyed, while the search for bodies among the rubble continues.
According to the civil protection managed by Hamas, 150 bodies have been recovered in the last few hours and another 9,500 people are missing. The positive sign is that the UN will be able to resume delivering humanitarian aid: 170,000 tonnes which have already been placed in Jordan and Egypt. In the Jewish state there is an atmosphere of waiting and suspension, also thanks to the Shabbat, in view of the return home of the kidnapped people.
In Jerusalem many families are camped out in front of the Knesset and Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. Also in the hostage square in Tel Aviv were US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Witkoff today visited an Israeli base in Gaza with Kushner and Centcom head Brad Cooper to take stock of the multinational task force that will monitor the truce.
The US military will coordinate the mission in which troops from Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates will likely participate. But “this great work will be done without American boots on the ground,” Admiral Cooper clarified. Once the prisoner exchange is concluded, we can move on to the second phase of the peace agreement, which however will be much more complicated to implement.
Hamas made this clear regarding one of the most controversial points of the plan, namely its disarmament. “It’s out of the question, it’s not negotiable,” an anonymous source from the movement said, while one of its leaders, Basem Naim, declared in an interview that there will not be complete disarmament, but the aim will be to integrate the militias within a Palestinian military structure.
Even ousting Hamas from the Strip will be difficult. According to what emerged from local sources, the faction has already recalled seven thousand members of its security forces to reassert control over the areas of Gaza abandoned by Israeli troops, appointing five new governors. Some of whom commanded the armed wing brigades.