Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last living hostages from Gaza, as Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel.
The key exchange was set to follow a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump was also arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans.
Here’s the latest:
Hamas published a list of more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said will be released in the Israel-Hamas war ceasefire.
It came after the militant group offered a list of the 20 living hostages it would release as part of the deal. The International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to oversee the releases.
Hamas published a list of the 20 living hostages it will release as part of the Israel-Hamas war ceasefire.
The list of names come as hostages and Palestinian prisoners were expected to be released Monday as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to Israel and Egypt to mark the ceasefire.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to oversee the releases, which will include nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said he will award U.S. President Donald Trump Israel’s highest civilian honor, the “Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor,” for his efforts to bring the hostages home.
The award also recognizes Trump’s “unique contribution to Israel’s security and the well-being of its citizens, and his commitment to leading the entire region toward an era of peace and cooperation.”
Herzog will inform Trump on Monday and present the medal in the coming months “at a time and place to be determined.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Egypt to attended a summit co-hosted by the leaders of Egypt and the United States to mark the ceasefire in Gaza.
Starmer said in a Facebook post that Britain is ready to support the reconstruction of Gaza and “we will work with partners to secure a stable future for the region.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will participate in the summit in Egypt on Monday, according to an adviser.
Mahmoud al-Habbash, a judge and adviser to Abbas, told The Associated Press that the leader would travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday to attend the peace summit.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency says the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told a Cabinet meeting on Sunday that Egypt had formally invited Iran’s president to attend the gathering of world leaders in the Arab country on Monday.
Araghchi said the Islamic Republic declined the invitation, which Egypt then renewed. It wasn't immediately clear if Iran, an ally of Hamas, responded to that second invitation.
