After announcing a peace deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he expects all remaining Israeli hostages to be released from Gaza early next week.
“The hostages are going to be released — our time would be probably Monday. They’re in a terrible situation there,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed,” Trump said. “We think they’ll all be coming back on Monday, and that’ll include the bodies of the dead.”
Of the remaining 48 hostages, 20 are believed to be alive and the rest dead. They have been held captive in Gaza since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel two years ago. The announcement of the peace deal came one day after the attack’s two-year anniversary.
A senior White House official confirmed to multiple news outlets that the hostages will be released on Monday, although that could happen sooner than anticipated. The deal is expected to go before the Israeli Cabinet for approval on Thursday.
The agreement requires Israel to withdraw from most of Gaza as part of the ceasefire’s first phase.
“Once they vote yes, Israel has to withdraw to the line, which should take under 24 hours,” the official told CNN. “Then the 72-hour clock begins, and Hamas will try to go earlier if possible.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES PEACE DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS
Trump said, as part of the next phases of the deal, he expects Gaza to be rebuilt and a “Council of Peace” to be formed. The council would help ensure lasting peace in the Middle East. The body echoes the “Board of Peace,” which was outlined in Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
“It’s going to be very powerful and it’s going to really, I think, to a large extent it’s going to have a lot to do with the whole Gaza situation,” Trump said. “People are going to be taken care of. It’s going to be a different world.”
