Israel and Gaza prepare to release hostages and prisoners as Trump set to depart for West Asia

Authorities in Israel and Gaza are making final preparations for a large-scale exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners ahead of a Monday deadline under a ceasefire deal that could end the two-year war in Gaza.

The exchange, central to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace initiative is expected to unfold hours before he departs for Israel and Egypt, where he will host a regional summit aimed at cementing a long-term truce and broader stability in West Asia.

Under the terms of the plan, Hamas is to release by noon Monday the remaining 47 hostages, both living and deceased, who were abducted during the group’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians. The militant group is also expected to hand over the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war.

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In return, Israel will begin releasing about 2,000 Palestinian detainees, 250 of them security prisoners convicted of attacks on Israelis and around 1,700 others arrested in Gaza during the war, once confirmation is received that all hostages have safely crossed into Israel.

“Palestinian prisoners will be released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel,” said Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. “As soon as we have confirmation that they have entered Israeli territory, those buses will depart and begin their journey.”

Bedrosian added that the hostage release “will begin early Monday morning,” with Israel expecting “all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time.”

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The hostages will be handed to the Red Cross and transported in several vehicles to Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza before being transferred to the Reim base in southern Israel for medical checks and family reunions.

Ten of the released captives will be treated at Sheba Medical Center, five at Beilinson Hospital, and another five at Ichilov Medical Center, according to officials.

Hamas finalises preparations, presses for senior prisoners’ release

Hamas officials told AFP that the group and its allies had “completed all preparations” for handing over the hostages. However, negotiators continued talks late Sunday over final details, with Hamas insisting that seven senior Palestinian figures be included in the Israeli prisoner release.

“Hamas insists that the final list include seven senior leaders, most notably Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Saadat, Ibrahim Hamed, and Abbas Al-Sayyed,” one source said, a detail confirmed by a second Hamas official. Israel has previously resisted including some of those names.

The first phase of the U.S.-brokered plan marks a major diplomatic milestone for Trump’s administration, which has invested heavily in ending the Gaza war and reshaping West Asia’s security landscape.

Trump is expected to arrive in Israel shortly after the exchange and deliver an address to the Knesset before travelling to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for a peace summit co-chaired with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

According to the Egyptian presidency, leaders from more than 20 countries — including the UK, France, Italy, and Spain — as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres will attend the meeting. Israeli and Hamas officials will not be present. The summit aims “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in West Asia, and usher in a new era of regional security,” Cairo said in a statement.

Cautious optimism amid fears of relapse

Despite the breakthrough, many in Gaza remain sceptical. In Khan Yunis, residents described chaotic scenes as starving civilians scrambled for limited aid deliveries. “Everyone fears the war will return,” said Mahmud al-Muzain. “We stockpile food out of fear and worry that the war will come back.”

Others, like 38-year-old Fatima Salem, have begun returning to what remains of their destroyed homes. “My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost — nothing looked the same,” she said. “We will pitch a tent next to what’s left and wait for reconstruction.”

Since Israel’s campaign began, at least 67,806 people have been killed in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry that the United Nations considers credible. The UN says more than half of those killed are women and children.

Push for a long-term truce

While the current deal offers a pause in hostilities, mediators face the challenge of securing a longer-term arrangement. A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating committee said the organisation “agrees to a long-term truce” and will not use its weapons “except in the event of an Israeli attack on Gaza.” However, the source ruled out Hamas participating in Gaza’s post-war governance.

Under the Trump plan, as Israel conducts a partial military withdrawal from Gaza, a multinational force coordinated by a U.S.-led command centre based in Israel would assume security responsibilities.

Trump’s trip to Israel and Egypt, his first to the region since the latest ceasefire — will test his ability to turn this fragile truce into a sustainable peace framework in one of the world’s most volatile regions.

With inputs from agencies