On Monday, Hamas released the 20 surviving Israeli hostages under a ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, sparking joy and tears among the huge crowd gathered in Tel Aviv to support the hostages’ families. This handover came as Trump arrived in Israel for a brief visit ahead of a peace summit in Egypt, having declared the war “over.” The released hostages were transferred to Israeli forces via the Red Cross. In exchange for the hostages and the remains of those who died in captivity, including a soldier killed in 2014, Israel is due to free nearly 2,000 detainees from its jails, including about 250 security detainees convicted of killing Israelis and around 1,700 people detained in Gaza during the war. The original 251 hostages were seized during the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people, with most of the hostages freed in earlier truces. Trump’s visit is intended to celebrate his role in the ceasefire and hostage deal, which has also brought relief to Gaza, though he arrives at a precarious time as negotiations continue over the future, with Trump expressing confidence that the ceasefire will hold.
Credit : CGTN
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