4 days ago
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Donald Trump says the war successful Gaza has ended and the Middle East is going to “normalise”, arsenic Hamas prepares to merchandise Israeli hostages and world leaders stitchery to sermon the adjacent steps toward peace.
“The war is over, you understand that?” the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One arsenic helium was flying to Israel to archetypal conscionable with hostage families and then present a speech to the Israeli parliament.
Asked astir prospects for the region, Trump said, “I think it’s going to normalise”.
A ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas held successful Gaza for a third time connected Sunday up of the expected merchandise of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and a scheduled code by Trump to Israel’s parliament.
Thousands of Palestinians continued to travel northbound towards Gaza City, the absorption of Israeli attacks implicit the past two months, hopeful the ceasefire would bring an extremity to the war.
“Tomorrow is the opening of a caller path. A way of building, a way of healing, and I anticipation – a way of uniting hearts,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said successful a televised statement.
The optimism was shared broadly.
“There is simply a batch of joyousness among the people,” said Abdou Abu Seada, a nonmigratory of Gaza who added that the joyousness was tempered by exhaustion aft two years of war that has destroyed overmuch of Gaza.
Donald Trump is being lauded successful Israel for his relation successful the securing the merchandise of Israeli hostages. (AP PHOTO)
Government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Israel expected hostages to start being released aboriginal connected Monday, with the 20 surviving hostages to beryllium released together.
Their merchandise is to beryllium followed aboriginal by the handover of bodies of the remaining 28 dormant hostages.
Trump will get successful Israel connected Monday to code the Knesset, earlier travelling to Sharm El Sheikh successful Egypt for a world leaders’ summit connected ending the Gaza war.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will besides be the summit.
The US, on with Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, mediated what has been described arsenic a archetypal signifier statement betwixt Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and the merchandise of hostages by Hamas and prisoners and detainees by Israel.
The Israel Prison Service said it had transferred some Palestinian prisoners to different facilities up of their expected release.
The Israeli Ministry of Justice has released the names of 250 Palestinians, convicted of execution and different superior crimes, who are to beryllium freed under the deal.
The database does not see elder Hamas commanders that the Islamist militant radical had sought to free, oregon salient figures from different factions such arsenic Marwan Al Barghouti oregon Ahmed Saadat.
Israel will besides to merchandise 1700 Palestinians who person been detained successful Gaza since October 7, 2023, and 22 Palestinian minors, on with the bodies of 360 militants.
Israeli authorities spokesperson Bedrosian said the prisoners would beryllium released erstwhile the surviving hostages reached Israel.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that erstwhile the hostages were returned, the subject would destruct underground tunnels successful Gaza built by Hamas.
Palestinians returning to bluish Gaza person described widespread devastation and rescue workers warned there could beryllium unexploded ordnance and bombs successful the area.
Amjad Al Shawa, who heads a Palestinian organisation co-ordinating with assistance groups, estimated 300,000 tents were needed to temporarily location 1.5 cardinal displaced Gazans.
“We couldn’t judge the demolition we person seen,” Rami Mohammad-Ali, 37, said by telephone aft walking 15km with his son from Deir Al Balah to Gaza City.
“We are joyful to instrumentality to Gaza (City) but astatine the aforesaid clip we person bitter feelings astir the destruction,” helium said.
with DPA and AP
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