Trump peace deal triggers 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release 48 hostages from Gaza
The countdown to return the 48 hostages held by Hamas for more than two years and the end to the brutal war in Gaza will officially commence Thursday morning after the Israeli security cabinet and government convene to approve the deal signed overnight.
Once the government approves the terms of the deal hashed out by Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and U.S. mediators, Hamas has 72 hours to release the 20 hostages still assessed to be alive, along with the 28 deceased, “in one fell swoop and without public ceremonies,” according to terms cited by Israel press agency TPS-IL.
It remains unclear if Hamas will be able to adhere to this timeframe after it flagged over the weekend the improbability that it will be able to quickly locate all deceased bodies, some of which are allegedly buried under rubble.
Israel Defense Forces, which will begin withdrawing within 24 hours of the government’s approval to a designated line agreed upon with Hamas, will remain in 53% of the Gaza Strip until all the hostages, dead and alive, are released.
Jerusalem will also authorize the release of some 1,700 Gazans arrested after the October 2023 attacks, along with roughly 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, under the first phase of the plan presented by President Donald Trump late last month.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Caitlin McFall.
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