Hamas, ‘Israel’ exchange prisoners; Trump heads to Gaza summit in Egypt after ‘Israel’ visit

The Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) and the 'Israel' Security Agency (ISA) announced that four coffins of deceased captives were transported across the border into 'Israel' earlier today.

The bodies are being taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where formal identification procedures will be conducted.

US President Donald Trump has departed Sharm El-Sheikh following his participation in the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit.

The summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, brought together leaders and representatives from over 30 countries and international organizations to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and regional peace initiatives.

US President Donald Trump urged additional countries to join the Abraham Accords during a speech at the Gaza peace summit in Cairo on Sunday.

“We’re going to let a lot of people join the Abraham Accords,” Trump said, signaling his administration’s continued push to expand the regional normalization agreements between 'Israel' and Arab states.

More than 20 world leaders gathered in Cairo on Monday for a landmark peace summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, marking what participants described as a “turning point” in the Gaza conflict.

US President Donald Trump declared that “the war in Gaza is over,” thanking Arab and Muslim nations for their “extraordinary efforts” in brokering what he called a “historic breakthrough.”

“After years of suffering and bloodshed, the war in Gaza is over,” Trump said in his address. “Humanitarian aid is now pouring in, including hundreds of truckloads of food, medical equipment and other supplies, much of it paid for by people in this room.”

He said civilians were returning to their homes and hostages were reuniting with their families. “A new and beautiful day is rising, and now the rebuilding begins,” Trump added, expressing “tremendous gratitude to the Arab and Muslim nations who helped make this incredible breakthrough possible.”

“This is the day that people around the region and across the world have been working, striving, hoping and praying for,” the president continued. “Nobody thought this could happen.”

Trump hailed the ceasefire agreement as “historic,” crediting it to months of diplomatic engagement led by Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan, with support from the United States and the United Nations.

President El-Sisi, in his opening remarks, said Egypt was proud to host the summit and reaffirmed his country’s “unwavering commitment to regional peace and stability.” He called for immediate international support for reconstruction in Gaza and renewed efforts toward a lasting two-state solution.

The summit brought together leaders and senior officials from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Discussions focused on humanitarian relief, post-war reconstruction, and mechanisms to monitor and maintain the ceasefire.

The Sharm El Sheikh Summit for Peace began Monday in Egypt, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, with participation from leaders and representatives of more than 30 countries and international organizations.

The summit aims to provide international political backing for the agreement that ended the recent war in Gaza and to outline a clear roadmap for the post-war phase.

Key agenda items include solidifying the ceasefire and transforming the current fragile truce into a permanent and comprehensive halt to hostilities. Leaders are also focused on ensuring the full implementation of the first phase of the agreement, including the completion of prisoner exchange.

The summit addresses urgent humanitarian needs and reconstruction efforts, discussing plans to fully and permanently reopen all crossings for aid, begin debris removal, and establish an international framework for funding and managing Gaza’s reconstruction.

Strategically, the summit tackles the political track, exploring the future governance of Gaza and the revival of a credible political process leading to a permanent, two-state solution to the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Trump is the “only one capable of bringing peace to our region.” 
• Trump hailed Egypt’s role in Hamas negotiations at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told his US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday that he was the "only one" who could bring peace to the Middle East.

"I was sure you were the only one, Mr. President, who can end this war... the only one capable of bringing peace to our region," Sisi said of Trump in a joint appearance before the Gaza summit.

Read more: King meets with leaders of Qatar, France, Cyprus, UK, Canada

At the same time, Trump said Sisi had a “very important role” in the negotiations with Hamas. 

“In fact the general right here was very instrumental because Hamas respects this country, and they respect the leadership of Egypt,” Trump added. 

The two presidents are leading the “Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit” to formally sign Gaza’s ceasefire alongside leaders and representatives from more than 20 countries and international organizations. 

US President Donald Trump arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday evening for a historic visit to co-chair the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Trump was greeted at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport by President el-Sisi amid tight security measures.

Trump praised El-Sisi for his “very important role” in the negotiations with Hamas, adding, “The United States is with him all the way.”

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Monday that it will hand over the bodies of four captives held in Gaza to the ‘Israeli’ authorities.

Freed Palestinians arrived in Khan Younis on Monday, as buses carrying those released from ‘Israeli’ prisons entered the southern Gaza city.

The releases came as part of the ongoing prisoner exchange deal following the Gaza ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump called on Monday for a pardon for ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing multiple court cases in which he stands accused of corruption.

"Hey, I have an idea. Mr. President (Isaac Herzog), why don't you give him a pardon?" Trump said during an address to ‘Israel's’ parliament.

"By the way, that was not in the speech, as you probably know. But I happen to like this gentleman right over here, and it just seems to make so much sense, you know."

As reported earlier, a chaotic scene unfolded during Trump’s speech, highlighting the deep divisions caused by the “Trump peace plan” within 'Israeli' politics.

Arab MK Ayman Odeh and left-wing Jewish MK Ofer Cassif were removed from the Knesset chamber on Monday after interrupting President Donald Trump’s address.

Trump thanked Arab nations for their help in securing the Gaza deal at his speech in the Knesset.

“We had a lot of help … a lot of people that you wouldn’t suspect, and I want to thank them very much for that,” Trump said.

“It’s an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace.”

An ‘Israeli’ group campaigning for the release of captives from Gaza said it had learned Hamas would hand over only four bodies of deceased captives on Monday, claiming it is a "breach of agreement".

"The hostage families were shocked and dismayed to learn that only four bodies of deceased hostages will be returned today, out of 28 held by Hamas," the “Hostages and Missing Families Forum” said in a statement.

"This represents a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas. We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice."

“After two harrowing years of darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are finally returning to the embrace of their families,” Trump told lawmakers, describing the moment as “the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”

Security officials intervened as Trump addressed the Knesset, removing protesters and confiscating banners that briefly interrupted his speech.

US President Donald Trump told the ‘Israeli’ parliament on Monday that the ceasefire he helped broker in the Gaza war had ushered in the "historic dawn of a new Middle East".

"And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity," he said.

"This is not only the end of a war... This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East."

Trump added that the “long and painful nightmare” is finally over for ‘Israelis’ and Palestinians.

'Israeli' politician Yair Lapid praised former US President Donald Trump, calling the failure to award him the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize a “serious error.”

Lapid also highlighted "Israel’s strengthened democracy," noting the country has become a leading example for "democratic governance."

He added that groups like Hamas and the Houthis are "relying on misinformation."

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hails US President Donald Trump in a speech at the Knesset, saying he is “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House”.

Netanyahu says Trump’s “pivotal leadership” in securing the Gaza deal secured the “backing of almost the entire world”.

“A proposal that brings all our hostages home, a proposal that ends the war by achieving all our objectives, a proposal that opens the war to a historic expansion of peace in our region and beyond our region,” Netanyahu said.

“Mister President, you are committed to this peace, I am committed to this peace, and together Mister President we will achieve this peace.”