President Donald Trump has stated that he anticipates the remaining hostages will be released from Gaza on Monday of next week as part of the initial phase of his 20-point peace plan addressing the two-year conflict in the region.
"The big thing is hostages are going to be released. It's probably, our time, would be probably Monday, and you know, it's … a terrible situation there," Trump said late Wednesday evening.
Hamas is reportedly still holding 20 living hostages along with the bodies of 28 others.
Trump briefly touched on their harsh conditions but appeared certain they would be coming home soon.
"They're deep, they're deep in the earth, and they're being gotten, and a lot of things are happening right now," the president said, adding, "As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed, and we think they'll all be coming back on Monday."
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following the approval of the first phase of a peace deal.
The agreement pauses the latest conflict that began with the terrorist group's attack, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and led to over 250 hostages being taken.
As outlined in Trump's plan, once the hostages are freed, Israel would "release 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023."
"For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans," the plan states.
"All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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