Overview

• All 20 surviving Israeli hostages were handed to the Red Cross and transferred to Israel in two groups after more than two years in captivity.
• Israel released roughly 1,700–2,000 Palestinian detainees, including some serving life terms, with buses arriving in Ramallah and Khan Younis.
• At a Sharm el-Sheikh summit, the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey declared themselves guarantors of the first-phase deal, though Israel and Hamas did not sign the declaration.
• Only four of the 28 expected bodies of deceased hostages were initially returned, drawing accusations of a breach and prompting Israeli warnings of consequences.
• President Trump declared the Gaza war ended during a Knesset visit and rallied support for a multi-point plan, but core issues such as Hamas disarmament, Gaza’s governance and any international security force remain unresolved.