Home > World > Gaza: Hamas releases all hostages, anticipation for Sharm el-Sheikh summit

Gaza: Hamas releases all hostages, anticipation for Sharm el-Sheikh summit

Gaza hostages Hamas

In Gaza, Hamas frees all hostages, handing them over to the Red Cross. Anticipation grows for the peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.

di Posted on

© All rights reserved

A new page of hope seems to be opening in the long conflict between Israel and HamasAfter months of negotiations and tensions, the early hours of today marked a historic moment: the first seven were released hostages Israelis held in Gaza from October 7, 2023, followed by the delivery of all the others. The event, greeted with emotion throughout the country, coincides with a major international diplomatic initiative: the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, where leaders of over twenty nations will gather this afternoon to define the basis for a lasting ceasefire and a reconstruction plan for the Strip.

The release of all hostages: between hope and emotion in Israel

In Israel on the morning of the release of the first seven hostages from Gaza It was marked by a mixture of emotion, anticipation, and hope. President Isaac Herzog called the day “a moment of great prayer and trust”, hoping that all prisoners will soon be able to return home.

Hamas has the first seven hostages were handed over – Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, and Eitan Mor – detained since October 7, 2023. The prisoners were picked up by convoys of the International Committee of the Red Cross and subsequently handed over to the Israel Defense Forces, who transferred them to the Re'im military base for medical and psychological evaluations before being reunited with their families. Israeli authorities have specified that their release will take place in multiple phases: a first delivery is expected at 8 am (7 am Italian time) and a second among the 9 and 10The names of subsequent hostages will be released later, as the operation is subject to possible security delays.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the prime minister and his wife Sara have written personal welcome messages and prepared welcome kits containing personal effects and electronic devices for each hostage. In Israeli squares, particularly in Habima Square in Tel Aviv – renamed “Hostage Square” – thousands of people waved flags with the yellow ribbon symbol of national mobilization, eagerly awaiting the return of their loved ones.

La handover of Israeli hostages from Hamas to the IDF ended: All 20 hostages still alive have been returned, after being rescued by the Red Cross. The first seven have already arrived in Israel, where they were reunited with their families for the first time in 738 days. A packed Tel Aviv square followed this historic moment live. The other 13 hostages were freed in the Khan Younis area and handed over to the Red Cross, as video footage shows. The bodies of the 28 deceased Israeli hostages were also returned in the afternoon. during their captivity in Gaza, entrusted to the International Red Cross, Palestinian sources reported to the Israeli broadcaster Kan.

The Sharm el-Sheikh Summit: A Fragile Path to Peace

While in Israel the return of the hostages is celebrated, Sharm el-Sheikh an international summit is ready which aims to consolidate the truce and define a lasting peace plan for Gaza. The meeting, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, brings together over twenty world leaders and represents one of the largest diplomatic initiatives in the region in recent years.

Participants included Emmanuel Macron, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Keir Starmer, Pedro Sánchez, Friedrich Merz, Antonio Costa, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who underlined Italy's commitment to the reconstruction process and stabilization of the region.

Despite the absence of Israeli representatives and Hamas delegations o of Iran, the summit is considered a decisive step towards stabilization. The Vatican spoke of “a hope of opening a new chapter”, underlining how the release of the hostages and the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh could represent the beginning of a slow but concrete path towards peace in the Middle East.

“This is a great honor for me. A great and beautiful day. A new beginning.” Donald Trump wrote this in the guestbook he signed at the Israeli Knesset.