Trump acclaims Gaza peace deal, says Israeli hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday

“Getting them is a complicated process. I’d rather not tell you what they’ve got to do to get them. They’re in places you don’t want to be.”

Trump spoke on Thursday afternoon in Washington DC (4am Friday AEDT) after several days of negotiations at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where his envoys joined representatives from Israel, Hamas, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt.

Exiled Hamas Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said on Thursday the group has received guarantees from the United States, Arab mediators and Turkey that the war on Gaza has permanently ended.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signalled high hopes for an agreement before he convened a security cabinet meeting and a full cabinet meeting to decide the terms his government was willing to accept.

“We have hit a critical point in this war,” his spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, said in a televised statement.

“From day one in this war, the prime minister laid out three objectives: the return of all of our hostages, the defeat and dismantling of Hamas and ensuring Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

“All of the prime minister’s objectives have now been achieved.”

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Bedrosian said Netanyahu had approved the first stage of the peace plan and expected the release of all 48 hostages, some of whom have died in captivity after being taken in the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

A ceasefire is expected to begin within 24 hours of the Israeli cabinet meeting.

Bedrosian described the terms as the approved “first phase” of the peace plan, however, and made it clear that other agreements would be required for a permanent end to the hostilities.

Hospitals were ready to accept the hostages from Monday, she said, and there would be no tolerance for Hamas “parading” the Israeli prisoners as it had done in the past.

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The families of the hostages acclaimed the peace negotiations and praised Trump for the results so far, although former hostage Omer Shem Tov warned it was too soon to assume the outcome.

“With all the joy and happiness, I have to say – this isn’t over yet,” said Shem Tov, who was held by Hamas for 505 days after being kidnapped at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

“Let’s keep praying, sending positive energy, keep fighting until they all come back.”

Israel will not release the bodies of Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammad, CNN reported on Thursday. It also said it would not release a high-profile Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, who has been held for more than two decades over his role in the killings of Israeli civilians.

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Trump has repeatedly claimed he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on securing the peace, just as Norwegian authorities prepare to announce the recipient for this year’s prize in Oslo on Friday.

The rapid developments in the Gaza talks appear unlikely to influence the award, however, because the Norwegian Nobel Committee said the decision on this year’s winner had already been made.

“The last meeting of the Nobel Committee took place on Monday,” Erik Aasheim, spokesman for the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told Agence France Press.

Netanyahu’s office backed Trump for the award on social media, saying: “Give Donald Trump the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it!”

French President Emmanuel Macron backed the Trump plan when he emerged from a meeting in Paris with foreign ministers from France, Egypt, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

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