Israel expects to receive all living prisoners from Gaza on Monday News of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Israel says it expects to receive all its remaining living prisoners from Gaza as early as Monday, a key step in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas now in place.

Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Sunday that Israel expects to bring all 20 living prisoners back together as early as Monday.

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As happened in previous exchanges during Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, the prisoners will first be handed over to the Red Cross, which will transfer them to an Israeli military base inside Gaza for initial medical examinations before heading to Israel to be reunited with their families.

A Hamas source told Al Jazeera Arabia that the prisoners were transferred to three locations in the Strip before being transferred to Red Cross officials.

Bedrosian said that once Israel confirms that all its prisoners are inside Israeli territory, it will begin releasing Palestinian prisoners.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel must release him About 2000 Palestinians It detains many without charge. Among the prisoners are 250 Palestinians serving life sentences. Israel said jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, whose release the Palestinians have long sought, would not be among them.

Some detainees will be released in the occupied West Bank, as Israel has instructed their relatives not to hold celebrations or speak to the media.

Israel is also preparing to receive the bodies of 28 prisoners confirmed to have died in captivity, according to Bedrosian.

In a televised speech on Sunday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped the release of the prisoners would be a moment of unity for the country, despite the controversy over his handling of the war.

“This is an emotional evening… because tomorrow our children will return to our borders,” Netanyahu said, citing a Bible verse. “Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path – the path of rebuilding, the path of healing, and I hope it will be the path of united hearts.”

Some families of the prisoners criticized Netanyahu for allegedly prioritizing military victory over their release. On Saturday, when US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff praised Netanyahu’s leadership at a rally in Tel Aviv, many in the crowd booed.

“Trump show”

the Planned exchange It comes three days after the Israeli government approved the first phase of a deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza, as did US President Donald Trump, who She led the agreement He visits Israel before a summit in Egypt.

Trump departed for Israel from Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe aboard Air Force One.

“This is going to be a very special time,” Trump said Sunday afternoon before boarding the plane. “Everyone is cheering.”

On board Air Force One, the US President told reporters that the prisoners might be released “a little early,” that his relationship with Netanyahu was good, and that Qatar deserved praise for the role it played in mediating the ceasefire.

Trump added: “The war is over. You understand that.”

“It’s a Trump show,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh, from Amman, Jordan, because the network is banned in Israel.

He added: “He will arrive in Israel, meet with the families of the prisoners, and deliver a speech before the Knesset, and then go to Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, where he summoned the leaders of more than 20 countries.”

As part of the Trump-led ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces withdrew from parts of Gaza, including Gaza City and other northern areas, although they remain… Control more than half Its lands.

Palestinians returning to the combat zones from which they were displaced have found widespread destruction, or “wasteland,” where their neighborhoods once stood, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al-Khalili reported from Gaza City.

Humanitarian aid began flowing into the enclave as part of a ceasefire, with dozens of trucks arriving on Sunday. Hind Khudari from Al Jazeera said that distribution is still slow for residents who have suffered months of severe deprivation.

“People are not only waiting for food, but also for tents, mobile shelters, solar panels, medical equipment and medicines that they desperately need – materials that have been largely unavailable over the past two years,” Al-Khudari said from Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. “Most people have lost their savings, have no access to bank accounts, and are completely dependent on humanitarian aid to survive.”

Leaders meeting in Egypt

The Gaza summit, scheduled for Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh, will be chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

More than a dozen world leaders are expected to attend the conference, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that neither he nor the Iranian president would accept an invitation to attend the summit because they could not “deal with their counterparts who attacked the Iranian people,” referring to the United States and its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this year.

Although Israel and Hamas announced their non-participation, Cairo praised the summit and described it as a “historic” event that seeks to “end the war in the Gaza Strip and strengthen efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Egypt said that it is also expected to sign a “document to end the war in the Gaza Strip” during the summit.

“Hard work” ahead

Despite progress on the ceasefire, many details regarding the second phase of the deal, which remain to be negotiated, need to be ironed out, including the precise composition of the post-war administration in Gaza and the fate of Hamas.

The second phase is expected to include a phased Israeli withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, the establishment of new security and governance arrangements, and reconstruction.

“After the big day tomorrow for Trump, after the hostages are released… comes the hard work,” Adnan Hayajneh, a professor of international relations at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera. “If you look at the situation in Gaza, it looks like there was an earthquake… There is no government. There are no schools. There is nothing there.”

US Vice President J.D. Vance appeared to acknowledge on Sunday that the path to stability will be difficult. “It will take sustained influence and sustained pressure from the president of the United States down,” he told CBS.

In a separate interview with ABC, Vance said the 200 US troops reportedly being sent to Israel to monitor the ceasefire are not intended to have a combat role and will not be deployed to the Palestinian territories.

“The idea of ​​having boots on the ground in Gaza, in Israel, is not our intention, it is not our plan,” Vance said.