The world witnessed extraordinary scenes on Monday as Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under a landmark exchange deal and Israeli hostages released from Gaza were reunited with their families.
Leaders from 28 countries and three international organisations, including US President Donald Trump, are attending a Gaza peace summit in Egypt to discuss the next phase of the fragile truce.
At least 154 of the 250 Palestinian prisoners released on Monday are being exiled by Israel as part of the swap for Israeli captives held in Gaza. Many of the freed detainees were among roughly 1,700 Palestinians seized from Gaza during Israel’s two-year war — several of whom were reported as “forcibly disappeared.”
On the other side, Hamas and other Palestinian groups have released 20 Israeli captives under the ceasefire agreement.
President Trump, addressing the Israeli Knesset ahead of the summit, declared that “today marks the historic dawn of a new Middle East.” He said his 20-point plan would lead to long-term peace and the rehabilitation of Gaza.
‘War is over’
Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed in the Knesset that “the war is over.” In his speech, interrupted by two lawmakers, Trump said he had achieved “what nobody else could do.” He also revealed that Netanyahu had frequently requested advanced weapons during the Gaza war — “some I’d never heard of,” he said.
According to Palestinian health officials, Israeli attacks during the two-year conflict killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children.
Abbas meets world leaders
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas held meetings with several heads of state and senior officials on the sidelines of the peace summit in Egypt. Among those he met were leaders from Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Germany, Spain, Norway, Greece, Iraq, Canada, Pakistan, and Oman. Abbas was accompanied by Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh and Diplomatic Adviser Majdi al-Khaldi.
Torture in Israeli jails
Newly released Palestinian detainee Shadi Abu Seed described his ordeal in an Israeli prison as “two years of hell.”
“I went hungry. They didn’t feed us. They kept us naked and beat us day and night. We were tortured,” he recounted. His testimony has sparked renewed international scrutiny over Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
Russia voices scepticism
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Trump’s proposed peace plan is overly focused on Gaza and lacks clarity on Palestinian statehood. “It mentions statehood, but in very general terms,” Lavrov said. “It’s imperative to define what will happen in the West Bank.”
Lavrov noted that while Moscow hopes the agreements between Israel and Hamas will be implemented, Russia does not view the US-led plan as sufficiently detailed or comprehensive.
