President Donald Trump said Wednesday on Fox News’ “Hannity” that the hostages, both dead and alive, held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, are expected to be released by Monday.
Trump announced earlier Wednesday evening on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas had formally agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-backed peace plan. Fox’s Sean Hannity asked the president to expand on what could come in the next stages for Israel and Hamas, noting the ongoing aggression and destruction in Gaza.
“I think you’re going to see all of that disappear. I think you’re going to see people getting along, and you’ll see Gaza being rebuilt. We’re forming a council, the Council of Peace, we think it’s going to be called, and it’s going to be very powerful. I think to a large extent it’s going to have a lot to do with the whole Gaza situation,” Trump said. “People are going to be taken care of. It’s going to be a different world. I think really the Middle East came together. Amazingly, they came together.”
“They have some countries with extraordinary wealth, and just spending a small portion of that wealth can do so much for that area. We’ll be involved in it, but the big thing is hostages are going to be released. It’s probably our time — [which] would be probably Monday. They’re terribly —[it’s] a terrible situation,” Trump added. “They’re deep in the earth, and they’re being gotten, and a lot of things are happening right now. As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed, and we think they’ll all be coming back on Monday.”
Prior to the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, Hamas announced Friday that it would tentatively agree to release all remaining hostages and relinquish power under Trump’s proposed ceasefire agreement.
While hostages have slowly been released since Trump returned to office, reports indicate that 48 remain in Gaza, with 26 publicly confirmed dead, according to ABC News.
Trump stated that the release will include the bodies of the deceased, noting that he has spoken to many of the victims’ parents. Trump added that the parents of the deceased are “equally intent” as the parents of the living to get their children back.
“I’ve talked to so many of them, but the parents are more, almost more intent, but equally intent as getting their, in just about all cases, their son’s body back than they are, as though the young man was alive. It’s just the same intensity. They want their baby’s body back. That’s what one woman said,” Trump said.
“‘I want my baby’s body back,’ and, you know, the son is 25, 26 years old. So that’s a very big part of it, getting all of the — it’s about 28. The number is 28. We’ll be coming back, but, unfortunately, dead,” Trump added.
The deal is expected to go before Israel’s cabinet for approval on Thursday, according to CBS News. If approved, the Israeli military will withdraw to an agreed-upon line in the Gaza Strip, a process expected to take less than 24 hours. Hamas would then have 72 hours to release the hostages, the outlet reported.
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