Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope that Monday night would be a “day of national joy,” as all living and deceased hostages are expected to be returned from Gaza, following the Israeli military’s announcement that a ceasefire has taken effect and its forces are repositioning within the territory.
Israel’s Justice Ministry has published the names of 250 Palestinian prisoners set to be freed as part of the hostage-ceasefire agreement. Of these, 15 will be released in East Jerusalem, 100 in the West Bank, and 135 are expected to be deported.
Hamas had proposed high-profile figures, including Marwan Barghouti, but Netanyahu’s office confirmed he will not be released. Authorities say more details on the full list of prisoners will be shared soon.
"Citizens of Israel, two years ago, the Simhat Torah holiday became a day of national mourning," Netanyahu said Friday in a televised statement, referring to the Jewish festival beginning Monday night.
"This Simhat Torah, with God's help, will be a day of national joy, celebrating the return of all our brothers and sisters held hostage," he added, noting that 20 hostages remain alive in Gaza, while 28 are deceased.
Netanyahu emphasized that, as part of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have retreated from certain areas of Gaza but continue to “surround Hamas from every direction.” He outlined that the next stages of Trump’s plan include Hamas being disarmed and Gaza demilitarized, though Hamas has not pledged to disarm.
"If this is achieved the easy way - so much the better. And if not - it will be achieved the hard way," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel will act to locate all kidnapped and fallen as soon as possible.
He also stressed that he resisted significant internal and external pressure to reach the deal: "Anyone who says this agreement was always on the table isn’t telling the truth."
In a statement, the military said that soldiers in the Southern Command would “continue to remove any immediate threat.”
What's the next 72 hours look like according to the ceasefire deal -
- The Israeli military has begun repositioning troops along lines outlined in the ceasefire agreement.
- The 72-hour countdown starts for Hamas to release all 20 hostages believed to be alive by 12:00 local time on Monday.
- The bodies of deceased hostages will also be returned, though the timeline is unclear.
- Hostage handovers will occur discreetly, without public ceremonies or media coverage.
- Around 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel and 1,700 detainees from Gaza are expected to be released.
- Approximately 600 humanitarian aid trucks will enter Gaza daily during this period.
- Once the initial phase concludes, negotiations are expected to begin for the subsequent stages of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.
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