The families of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza begin today hoping it will be their last before the return of their loved ones, David Harper reports
Much-needed aid into famine-stricken Gaza was being ramped up on Sunday as the fragile ceasefire in the two-year war continued to hold into a third day.
The Israeli defence body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza, COGAT, said about 600 trucks a day will enter Gaza. Egypt said it was sending 400 aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday. The aid lorries will be inspected by Israeli forces before being allowed in.
Aid trucks were seen entering the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Sunday morning, delivering much-needed medical supplies, tents, blankets, food and fuel.
Hostages who have been held in Gaza will be released early on Monday morning, spokesperson for Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office, Shosh Bedrosian, said on Sunday afternoon.
Bedrosian said the hostages will all be released at the same time and will be transferred to the custody of the Red Cross before eventually being driven to Israel.
World leaders will gather in Egypt for a summit on Monday, expected to be hosted by Donald Trump and the Egyptian president as part of efforts to secure a lasting peace.
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to join Trump and world leaders from 20 countries at the meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, which Cairo said would be co-chaired by the US leader and Abdel Fattah El-Sis.
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday, following three days of intensive negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh between the two sides mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States.
As the truce continued over the weekend, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians made the journey to north Gaza to their destroyed homes, having been forced to flee south by Israeli bombardment.
The first phase of the ceasefire plan includes Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, and the north, the opening of five crossings for aid, as well as the release of the remaining hostages and Palestinian prisoners by Monday morning.
In Israel, there was a tense wait for the release of 20 living hostages and the remains of 28, expected to take place on Monday, with thousands continuing to gather in ‘hostages square’ in Tel Aviv.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the region on Saturday, where Witkoff told the cheering crowd, some waving US flags: “To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you are coming home.”
A copy of the signed ceasefire said mediators and the ICRC will facilitate the exchange of the hostages and prisoners without public ceremonies or media coverage.
Israel is to free some 250 Palestinians serving prison sentences, as well as around 1,700 people seized from Gaza over the past two years and held without charge.
Downing Street said a “signing ceremony” for the Gaza peace plan will take place at Sharm El-Sheikh to mark a turning point for the Middle East as the truce enters its initial stages.
Sir Keir will pay “particular tribute” to Mr Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in “bringing us to this point” before calling for “swift progress towards phase two”, No 10 said.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend, the Élysée Palace confirmed on Saturday.
The 20-point plan brokered by the US President calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel.
An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside the enclave.
The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said there are no plans to send British troops to be part of the multinational force that will monitor the truce.
About 200 US troops have arrived in Israel, where they are expected to set up a centre to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid and provide security assistance, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.
The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.
The United Nations and many independent experts consider the ministry’s figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
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