Shafaq News – Washington
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that hostages still held in Gaza could be released on October 13 or 14, describing efforts to secure their freedom as “a complicated process.”
During his meeting with members of his administration at the White House, Trump reiterated his plans for an upcoming trip to the region, stating he would travel to Egypt "fairly soon," for an "official signing" ceremony.
Gaza would be "slowly redone," with reconstruction efforts involving multiple international partners, the US President added.
Addressing the human cost of the conflict, he condemned the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as “terrible,” while noting that Gaza had since “lost 70,000 people,” calling it “big retribution.”
He also linked the recent diplomatic breakthrough to US actions against Iran, asserting that a US-backed attack on the country was "important" in preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. "Iran wants to work on peace, and the US will work with them."
Read more: Strategic shift: US strike on Iran signals newera of military engagement
The first phase of a ceasefire stipulates that Israeli forces will withdraw from a designated “yellow line” across Gaza within 24 hours, followed by the release of all living Israeli captives—around 20 individuals—within 72 hours, and the gradual return of the bodies of those killed. In exchange, Israel will free more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and others detained after October 7, 2023.