Emmanuel Macron welcomed the release by Hamas of the Israeli hostages still alive in the Gaza Strip, believing that “peace is becoming possible for Israel, for Gaza and the region”, this Monday, October 13.
“I share the joy of the families and the Israeli people because they have just handed over seven hostages to the Red Cross,” wrote the French head of state in X, upon his arrival in Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, for a “peace summit” dedicated to Gaza.
During this summit, the mediating countries must sign a document that guarantees the application of the agreement, a diplomatic source told AFP on condition of anonymity. “The signatories will be the guarantors: the United States, Egypt, Qatar and probably Türkiye,” said this source.
A total of 20 live Israeli hostages will be returned to Israel on Monday morning. “France will participate in all stages of President Trump’s plan together with the Arab partners he has mobilized,” added the head of state.
250 Palestinians must be released
In exchange for the hostages, Israel must release 250 Palestinians detained for “security reasons,” including many convicted of deadly anti-Israel attacks, and 1,700 Palestinians arrested in Gaza since the start of the war.
Hamas continues to demand the release of Palestinian leaders detained by Israel as part of the exchange, two sources close to the negotiations and Hamas said on Sunday.
Negotiations remain “difficult”
According to a Hamas source, the Islamist movement has renounced participation in the future governance of Gaza, where it took power in 2007. On the other hand, its leadership seems unanimous in rejecting the disarmament of the movement, considered terrorist by Israel, the United States and the European Union in particular, another essential point of the American plan.
A senior Hamas official, Hossam Badran, warned of “difficult” negotiations for the next phase of the Trump plan, which provides, in addition to the disarmament of Hamas, the exile of its fighters and the continuation of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
In Gaza, massive returns among the ruins
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people left in the first hours of the ceasefire towards the north of the Gaza Strip, the main objective of the last phase of the Israeli offensive, often only to find ruins.
Some 500,000 people, according to the Civil Defense, returned to the north on Saturday. 200 trucks loaded with aid entered the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel on Sunday, including six diesel trucks and five domestic gas trucks. This is the first time in seven months that this type of gas has entered Gaza.
Source: BFM TV
