Israel expects that the hostages held by the Hamas terror group will be released on Monday, in the very early morning, but it may be that they will be released on Sunday, so as to release all of the hostages before US President Donald Trump arrives in Israel.
Under the agreement, living hostages will be released first, possibly as a single group handed over to the Red Cross, instead of in stages at different locations, and deceased hostages will be released only later.
On Saturday morning, US Envoy Steve Witkoff visited an IDF post in northern Gaza together with US Central Command chief General Bradley Cooper and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. According to a report by Fox News, the two arrived to ensure that the IDF withdrawal had been completed in accordance with the agreement before returning to Israel.
On Saturday evening, Witkoff is expected to arrive at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square along with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and one of the architects of the agreement.
Hamas, meanwhile, has expressed anger that not all 250 prisoners being released are serving life sentences — only 195 of them are. Israeli officials have clarified that the list of released prisoners was finalized with mediators, approved by the government, and cannot be changed in practice.
A senior Hamas official told the French news agency AFP anonymously on Saturday that “the disarmament of Hamas,” a key element of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, “is out of the question.” He added, “The demand to hand over weapons is not up for discussion and not negotiable.”
On Monday, after visiting Israel, Trump is also expected to travel to Egypt, where he will take part in a symbolic signing ceremony for the agreement, joined by several European leaders invited by Cairo.