From Hostage Release To Historic Pact: Trump, Global Leaders Seal Gaza Peace Deal In Egypt | 10 Points

US President Donald Trump, along with several world leaders, signed a Gaza ceasefire agreement at a summit in Egypt on Monday, following the release of all surviving hostages by Hamas and Israel under a US-brokered peace deal.

The last 20 surviving hostages held in Gaza were returned to Israel on Monday, bringing an end to a two-year captivity that followed the 2023 war.

Israeli officials confirmed that Hamas also handed over four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages to the Red Cross as part of the final exchange.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, all 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life terms and more than 1,700 Gaza detainees held without formal charges since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks have been released.

Emotional

scenes were witnessed across the region, with freed Israeli hostages reuniting with families in hospitals, while Palestinian prisoners returned home to rousing welcomes in the West Bank and Gaza, where large crowds gathered to celebrate their release.

Gaza Peace Deal: Top 10 Updates

• Trump and several world leaders signed the Gaza ceasefire accord during a summit in Cairo, marking what Trump called “a dawn of a new Middle East.” The agreement follows the release of all remaining hostages and prisoners from both sides.
• The 20 surviving hostages held in Gaza were returned to Israel on Monday, ending a two-year ordeal. Hamas also handed over four coffins containing the remains of hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
• Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life terms and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza held without charge since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.
• Tearful family reunions were witnessed in hospitals across Israel as freed hostages met their loved ones. In Gaza and the West Bank, large crowds welcomed the released Palestinian detainees returning home by bus.
• President Trump hailed the deal as “unthinkable,” thanking leaders of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia for helping secure what he called “peace in the Middle East.”
• The formal signing in Cairo was attended by Trump and key mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. However, representatives from Israel and Hamas were notably absent.
• The US president arrived in Egypt following a lengthy address to the Israeli Knesset, where he praised the ceasefire as a turning point for the region and lauded the return of hostages.
• Trump announced that “hundreds of truckloads” of food, medicine, and supplies were entering Gaza, much of it funded by participating nations. “Civilians are returning to their homes. The hostages are reuniting. It’s beautiful,” he said.
• Among the 20 world leaders present were Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, signalling wide international backing for the accord.
• The conflict has claimed over 67,000 lives in Gaza, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Large parts of the territory remain in ruins, with famine conditions declared in northern Gaza. The October 7 attacks on Israel killed around 1,200 people and led to 250 hostages being taken.