A Gaza ceasefire was holding for a third day on Sunday, ahead of a proposed hostage-prisoner exchange and a summit aimed at charting a path to peace after two years of war.US President Donald Trump is among the leaders expected in Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday for the Gaza peace summit co-hosted by his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.The following are the latest key developments in the peace process:- Hostage-prisoner exchange -The Gaza peace deal hinges on both sides adhering to an agreement to exchange hostages seized from Israel in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.The initial stage of the ceasefire deal includes the release of 48 Israeli hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans held by Israel since the war broke out.Israel and Hamas said the hostages would be released Monday morning, ahead of a midday (0900 GMT) deadline under the terms of the ceasefire agreement proposed by Trump.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson said the Palestinian prisoners would be “released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel”.Later, Netanyahu called for the imminent release of hostages to be a moment of unity in Israel and a “path of healing… a path of united hearts”.- Gaza summit -Trump and Sisi will chair the Gaza peace summit on Monday in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh.The gathering aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”, the Egyptian president’s office said.On Sunday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said a “document ending the war in the Gaza Strip” was expected to be signed during the “historic” gathering.A diplomatic source said mediators US, Egypt, Qatar and likely Turkey would sign a guarantee document during the summit.But neither of the warring parties will attend, with Netanyahu’s office saying no Israeli officials would take part, following earlier confirmation from Hamas that it would not send representatives.Among those expected to attend are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Egypt has said 21 nations will take part, with representation also expected from the EU and Arab League, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Indonesia, India and Germany, among others.Iran also said it received an invitation, but did not indicate whether it would attend.- Hamas post-war role -A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating committee told AFP on Sunday that it would not participate in governing post-war Gaza.The source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the Islamist movement has “relinquished control of the Strip”, but stressed it “remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric”.”Hamas agrees to a long-term truce, and for its weapons not to be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza,” the source said.Another Hamas official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told AFP the militant group’s disarmament was “out of the question”.- Aid heads for Gaza -More than 200 trucks carrying aid destined for Gaza, including six diesel fuel trucks and five carrying cooking gas, were unloaded on Sunday at the Kerem Shalom crossing with the Palestinian territory, according to an AFP reporter who also saw the empty vehicles return to the Egyptian side. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians poured back into a shattered Gaza City on Saturday, a day after the guns fell silent.Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas’ authority, said more than 500,000 people had returned by Saturday evening.burs-dv/csp/jsa
A Gaza ceasefire was holding for a third day on Sunday, ahead of a proposed hostage-prisoner exchange and a summit aimed at charting a path to peace after two years of war.US President Donald Trump is among the leaders expected in Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday for the Gaza peace summit co-hosted by his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.The following are the latest key developments in the peace process:- Hostage-prisoner exchange -The Gaza peace deal hinges on both sides adhering to an agreement to exchange hostages seized from Israel in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.The initial stage of the ceasefire deal includes the release of 48 Israeli hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans held by Israel since the war broke out.Israel and Hamas said the hostages would be released Monday morning, ahead of a midday (0900 GMT) deadline under the terms of the ceasefire agreement proposed by Trump.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson said the Palestinian prisoners would be “released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel”.Later, Netanyahu called for the imminent release of hostages to be a moment of unity in Israel and a “path of healing… a path of united hearts”.- Gaza summit -Trump and Sisi will chair the Gaza peace summit on Monday in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh.The gathering aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability”, the Egyptian president’s office said.On Sunday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said a “document ending the war in the Gaza Strip” was expected to be signed during the “historic” gathering.A diplomatic source said mediators US, Egypt, Qatar and likely Turkey would sign a guarantee document during the summit.But neither of the warring parties will attend, with Netanyahu’s office saying no Israeli officials would take part, following earlier confirmation from Hamas that it would not send representatives.Among those expected to attend are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Egypt has said 21 nations will take part, with representation also expected from the EU and Arab League, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Indonesia, India and Germany, among others.Iran also said it received an invitation, but did not indicate whether it would attend.- Hamas post-war role -A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating committee told AFP on Sunday that it would not participate in governing post-war Gaza.The source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the Islamist movement has “relinquished control of the Strip”, but stressed it “remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric”.”Hamas agrees to a long-term truce, and for its weapons not to be used at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza,” the source said.Another Hamas official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told AFP the militant group’s disarmament was “out of the question”.- Aid heads for Gaza -More than 200 trucks carrying aid destined for Gaza, including six diesel fuel trucks and five carrying cooking gas, were unloaded on Sunday at the Kerem Shalom crossing with the Palestinian territory, according to an AFP reporter who also saw the empty vehicles return to the Egyptian side. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians poured back into a shattered Gaza City on Saturday, a day after the guns fell silent.Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas’ authority, said more than 500,000 people had returned by Saturday evening.burs-dv/csp/jsa
