Gaza Peace Deal: 20 Israeli Hostages Freed in Exchange for Palestinian Prisoners

Gaza: In a major development under the Gaza peace agreement, Hamas has released 20 Israeli hostages, while Israel has begun releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

According to Arab media, the hostages were released in two phases—7 in the first and 13 in the second. Israeli media reports that Hamas will also hand over the bodies of 28 Israeli hostages today.

Red Cross vehicles have arrived in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area to facilitate the exchange. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is overseeing the process. Palestinian prisoners have already boarded buses from Israeli jails, headed towards Gaza and the West Bank. Many will receive medical care at Al-Nasr Hospital in southern Gaza.

Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, issued the list of the 20 living hostages, while preparations for their handover were completed in Khan Younis, where large crowds gathered.

Meanwhile, a formal signing ceremony for the Gaza peace deal is taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. U.S. President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other world leaders are attending the event.

The deal is being viewed as a possible breakthrough in efforts to ease the long-running conflict in Gaza and pave the way for further negotiations.