Trump to attend Gaza ceasefire summit as Israel awaits hostage release: Latest

Last week, Greta Thunberg made a spectacular return to the global spotlight, this time not as a youth climate icon but as a humanitarian, an activist, and a prisoner speaking out. After the Israeli Navy intercepted the Gaza-bound fleet Thunberg Proceeding further, he was held with over 400 others before he and 130 other captives were deported on 6 October.

Back in Stockholm, 22-year-old accused Israel Authorities treated detainees “cruelly and humiliatingly”, which Thunberg says they were confined to in small cages and denied necessary medication. Yet she held back a bit: “I don’t want headlines about Greta being tortured,” she said. “Because that’s not the story here.”

Of course, it’s never been that simple, especially when you’re Greta Thunberg. She was 15 years old when she started protesting in 2018, and now that she has turned twenty, she finds herself under new scrutiny.

Our special correspondent Zoë Beatty writes:

A long-awaited ceasefire has now been in place for two days after Donald Trump pressured Israel and Hamas to accept his 20-point plan to end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The ceasefire came into force on Friday morning and thousands of Palestinians will return to their homes, which have been largely reduced to rubble after two years of bombardment.

The Israeli army said it had begun deploying its troops along the lines described in the ceasefire agreement.

On Friday morning, a 72-hour countdown began in which Hamas must release all 20 hostages believed to still be alive. They must be handed in by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.

During this process, we hope to release approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

The timeline for the exchange is not entirely clear. There have been some suggestions that the first hostage release could take place on Sunday, but the majority of voices coming from both Israeli and Hamas officials suggest that Monday morning is the most likely time to release the surviving Israeli hostages.

In a previous hostage surrender they were collected by the Red Cross which transferred them to Israel. It is also unclear how the final exchange will take place.

We also expect that from now on about 600 humanitarian aid trucks will enter Gaza every day.

Once this process is complete, negotiations are expected to begin on subsequent steps of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump and other world leaders at a peace summit in Egypt seeking to secure the fragile ceasefire agreed in Gaza.

The prime minister will travel to Sharm el-Sheikh for the meeting, which Cairo said will be co-chaired on Monday by the US leader and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

A “signing ceremony” for the Gaza peace plan will be held to mark an important turning point for the Middle East as the ceasefire enters its initial phase, Downing Street said.

No 10 said Sir Keir would pay “special tribute” to Mr Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in “getting us to this point”, before calling for “rapid progress towards phase two”.

French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Saturday.

European Council President Antonio Costa will attend a peace summit in Egypt on Monday, an EU official said on Sunday.

Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

Donald Trump will also attend the summit, while reports have suggested that other world leaders may also attend.

Hamas and Israeli officials said over the weekend that the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza was expected to begin on Monday morning. israel time,

Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas is given 72 hours to return the 48 hostages following the initial withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza.

The Israeli outlet revealed a message from Gal Hirsch, the government’s pointman on the hostages, who told their relatives that “the process of releasing your loved ones – our loved ones, the hostages – will begin on Monday morning”.

He said: “The surviving hostages will be handed over to us, and hopefully the remains of the fallen hostages will also be transferred to us.”

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, said AFP That “in accordance with the signed agreement, the exchange of prisoners is scheduled to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there have been no new developments on this matter.”

The Israel Defense Forces warned that they are “prepared for any developments and ready to take action until all our hostages are returned”.

The IDF commander of the 98th Division said: “We are prepared for any developments and ready for action until all our hostages are returned. We will embrace the living and salute the fallen. Know that you are the heroes of the victory; together, we will continue to accomplish every mission required of us.”

Thousands of people took part in a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney’s central business district on Sunday, organizers said, after a court blocked plans to hold a protest at the Sydney Opera House.

The Palestine Action Group, which organized the rally, estimated that about 30,000 people attended in Sydney, one of 27 protests across Australia, including Melbourne. Police did not give an estimate of the crowd.

The demonstrations come as Israeli troops withdraw under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza after a war that has left thousands dead and much of the area in ruins.

Amal Nasser, one of the organizers of the Sydney rally, said:

“Even if the ceasefire holds, Israel is still militarily occupying Gaza and the West Bank. The occupation as well as the systemic discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel constitutes an apartheid system.”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation footage showed protesters marching through closed streets in the city, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves. Police did not report any arrests.

The Australian Jewish Executive Council, representing more than 200 Jewish organisations, condemned the protest organisers. Co-Chief Executive Peter Wertheim said he wanted “the deal to fail, which would mean the war would continue.”

The families of the 48 hostages met with Special Envoy for Peace Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at Hostages Square ahead of their release on Monday.

The families thanked him for his vital role in securing the historic agreement to bring all their loved ones home.

During the meeting, Witkoff stressed the United States’ unwavering commitment to the mission and continuing its work by leaving no one behind.

The families expressed their deep appreciation for the continued support and dedication shown by the US administration.

As of Monday, Hamas is to begin releasing the remaining 48 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to survive.

Israel will release about 2,000 Palestinians, including senior militants convicted of deadly attacks as well as those convicted of minor crimes and those held without charges under administrative detention.

About 200 US troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas.

They will establish a hub to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance.

“This monumental effort will be achieved without any American boots on the ground in Gaza,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Army Central Command. Israel said Witkoff, Kushner and Cooper met with senior US and Israeli military officials in Gaza on Saturday.