Israel and Hamas are preparing for the first exchange of hostages and prisoners under the new ceasefire agreement, with the deadline ending at 6 am this Monday (13), local time, at midnight Brasília time, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement signed on Friday and mediated by the USA, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
However, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza “may be released a little earlier than expected”, raising expectations that the release will take place this Sunday night (12). The statement was made aboard Air Force One, as he headed to the Middle East to personally monitor the liberation operation.
“The war is over,” Trump said, according to journalists traveling with him.
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Israel awaits the release of 48 hostages kidnapped by Hamas, including 20 believed to be alive. They are part of the group of 251 people taken on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants invaded Israeli territory and killed around 1,200 people.
In exchange, Israel must release approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and others detained without formal charges. The Israeli Ministry of Justice has already released the list of names scheduled for release.
Trump will first land in Israel, where he is expected to meet with family members of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. He will then head to Egypt, where he will participate in a peace summit with international leaders, including António Guterres (UN), Keir Starmer (United Kingdom), Giorgia Meloni (Italy), Pedro Sánchez (Spain) and Emmanuel Macron (France).
This Sunday, trucks loaded with food, medicine and fuel began entering the Gaza Strip under Israeli inspection. Images released by international agencies showed crowds of Palestinians trying to reach the convoys, amid widespread hunger and destruction caused by two years of conflict.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, more than 67,000 Palestinians have died since the start of the Israeli offensive. The UN estimates that 90% of the enclave’s population was displaced during the war.
(com Associated Press e Reuters)
