The US President told reporters that the bodies of Israelis who died in captivity in Gaza were being “exhumed.”
Posted on October 11, 2025
US President Donald Trump said Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups are set to “return” on Monday, with 20 surviving captives and the bodies of 28 others who died in captivity, scheduled to be handed over as part of a US-backed ceasefire deal.
Speaking to reporters at the White House late Friday, Trump said Monday would be a “big day” as Hamas exchanges all 48 Israeli prisoners, living and dead, for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons.
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“Some of these bodies are being exhumed right now, as we speak. They’re working on that right now,” Trump said.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy,” he said.
The US President added that among the living prisoners still being held in Gaza, “they are in very difficult places, where only some people know where they are.”
Trump said he plans to travel to Cairo this weekend and speak separately in the Israeli Knesset before returning to the United States.
Under the terms of the US-brokered peace agreement in Gaza, Hamas agreed to release all prisoners within 72 hours after the start of the ceasefire.
The Israeli government ratified the ceasefire in the early hours of Friday morning, and it entered into force later in the day. After that, Israeli forces began to withdraw from areas in Gaza to specific locations, and the countdown began 72 hours after Hamas released the prisoners.
Reports emerged earlier this week that Hamas may face difficulties in locating and collecting the remains of all deceased prisoners, which could complicate the exchange planned for Monday.
The Palestinians also started Return to their war-torn homes On Friday amid the Israeli withdrawal, key questions about Gaza’s future remained unclear – including plans for a future Palestinian state.
However, Trump maintained an optimistic tone on both the first and second Later stages Of his ceasefire plan unfolding.
He said that Hamas and Israel are “tired of fighting.”
Trump said: “There is consensus on most of them, and some details will be worked out, like everything else.”
“Because you will discover that when you sit in a beautiful room in Egypt, it is easy to come up with something,” he said.
He added, “But sometimes it doesn’t work out in practice. But for the most part, there is consensus.”
The US President also seemed pleased with the support of the European Union, Iran and Russia for the agreement, saying that the peace plan would extend “beyond Gaza.”
“This is peace in the Middle East, and it is a beautiful thing,” he said.
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