Trump To Be Lauded In Israel As Long-held Hostages Return Home

JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Oct 13 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will receive a hero’s welcome in Israel’s parliament on Monday, as the fragile Gaza ceasefire he brokered enters its fourth day, where the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners marks tentative steps in a long-unresolved conflict.

Trump’s Knesset speech came after two years of war sparked by a Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed nearly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives have since devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, the region’s health officials say.

“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began his flight from Washington to Israel. When asked about the expectations for the region, he said: “I think it will normalize.”

The UN said humanitarian aid was increasing and food and medical deliveries were being expanded as cooking gas entered for the first time since March.

The ceasefire and exchange of both hostages and prisoners offered a glimmer of hope, but despite Trump’s optimism, the loss of life, destruction and trauma showed how far a lasting peace was. Progress now depends on global commitments that could be made later Monday at a summit of more than 20 world leaders led by Trump in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend the summit in Egypt, an Axios reporter said Sunday, citing a senior Palestinian official. No Israeli officials will attend.

Israel expects the remaining hostages to begin returning early on Monday, the 20 survivors to be released together, and then the surrender of 28 people, 26 of whom are dead and two whose fate is unknown.

The Israeli Ministry of Justice announced the names of 250 Palestinians convicted of murder and other serious crimes who will be released in the swap. The list did not include high-profile names such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat, as well as senior Hamas commanders who have significant demands from Hamas. The Hamas prisoners’ advisory office said discussions on the final list were ongoing. Additionally, 1,700 Gazans who have been detained since October 7, 2023 will also be released.

Palestinians who returned to northern Gaza described the shocking scenes of destruction on the ground.

“We couldn’t believe the devastation,” said Rami Mohammed-Ali, 37, who walked the 15 km (9 miles) from Deir al Balah to Gaza city with his son. “We are joyful to return, but bitter about the destruction,” he added, recounting the sight of human remains scattered along the roads.

Scores of people gathered at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv late Saturday, waving signs and cheering Trump as his special envoy Steve Witkoff spoke, but were loudly booed when Witkoff tried to thank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his role in the ceasefire effort.

Trump will be the fourth US president to address the Knesset, following Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bill Clinton in 1994 and George W. Bush in 2008.

In a letter last week inviting Trump to make a formal speech, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana wrote: “The people of Israel regard you as the greatest friend and ally of the Jewish nation in modern history.”

Israeli critics of Netanyahu, including the hostages’ families, accuse him of deliberately prolonging the conflict to appease far-right government coalition partners whose support is vital to his political survival. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last year on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Israel denies.

“Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path. A path of construction, a path of healing and, hopefully, a way of uniting hearts,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Sunday.

The United States, along with Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, mediated the agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was described as the first phase. The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for the establishment of an international body, a “Peace Board” led by Trump.

Trump has previously said Tony Blair could play a role on the board, but on Sunday the former British prime minister questioned whether Blair would be acceptable given criticism of his role in the Iraq War.

A lot can still go wrong. Other steps in Trump’s 20-point plan have not yet been decided. These include how Gaza will be governed once the fighting ends and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which rejects Israeli demands for disarmament.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said it would deploy security forces to areas where the Israeli army had withdrawn. It was unclear whether armed militants, whom Israel would see as a provocation, would return to the streets in significant numbers.

Israel and Hamas engaged in tense, albeit indirect, negotiations over the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Sources close to Hamas said Israel had backed away from a previously agreed list of senior militant leaders, raising fears that the fragile deal would collapse.

Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the military would begin destroying Hamas’ underground tunnel network in Gaza once the hostages returned.

Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah told Reuters in Cairo that Trump’s plan was crafted in Israel’s favor, allowing Israel to dictate terms and shift the blame.

“If they choose to step back, they can find excuses and blame Hamas. Meanwhile, the weaker Hamas loses all its influence when it hands over the hostages,” Attallah said.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, and Howard Goller in New York; Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Howard Goller; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Lincoln Feast.)