Trump-Gaza latest: US president to join Keir Starmer at Gaza ceasefire summit in Egypt as Israel waits for hostage release – UK Times

Last week, Greta Thunberg made a spectacular return to global headlines, this time not as a young climate icon but as a humanitarian, an activist and detainee speaking out. After Israel’s navy intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla that Thunberg sailed on, she was held alongside more than 400 others before she and 130 detainees were deported on 6 October.

Back in Stockholm, the 22-year-old accused Israeli authorities of “cruel and degrading” treatment of detainees, who Thunberg says were crammed into tiny cages and denied essential medicine. Yet she also made a slight retraction: “I do not want there to be headlines about Greta being tortured,” she said. “Because that’s not the story here.”

It has never been that simple, of course, particularly when you’re Greta Thunberg. She was 15 when she began protesting, back in 2018, and now that she is in her twenties, she finds herself under new scrutiny.

Our special correspondent Zoë Beaty writes:

A long-awaited ceasefire has now been in place for two days, after Donald Trump pushed Israel and Hamas to accept his 20-point plan to end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The truce came into place on Friday morning, and will see thousands of Palestinians return home to their homes, which have been left largely in rubble following two years of bombardment.

The Israeli military said it has “begun positioning” its troops along the lines detailed in the ceasefire agreement.

On Friday morning, a 72-hour countdown began in which Hamas must release all 20 hostages who are believed to still be alive. They must be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.

During this process, we expect to see the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

The timeline of the exchange is not entirely clear. There have been some suggestions that the first hostage releases could take place on Sunday, but most of the sounds coming from both Israeli and Hamas officials suggest Monday morning is the most likely time for the living Israeli hostages to be released.

In previous hostage handovers they’ve been collected by the Red Cross which has transferred them to Israel. It is also unclear how the final exchanges will take place.

We also expect to see about 600 humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza daily from now on.

After this process has been completed, negotiations are expected to begin over the latter phases of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to join US president Donald Trump and other world leaders at a peace summit in Egypt seeking to secure the fragile ceasefire agreed in Gaza.

The Prime Minister will travel to Sharm El-Sheikh for the gathering, which Cairo said would be co-chaired by the US leader and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on Monday.

A “signing ceremony” for the Gaza peace plan will take place at the event to mark a turning point for the Middle East as the truce enters its initial stages, Downing Street said.

Sir Keir will pay “particular tribute” to Mr Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey in “bringing us to this point” before calling for “swift progress towards phase two”, No 10 said.

French President Emmanuel Macron will also attend, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Saturday.

European Council president Antonio Costa will attend a peace summit in Egypt on Monday, an EU official said on Sunday.

Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

Donald Trump will also attend the summit, while reports have suggested other world leaders may also be present.

The release of Israeli hostages from Gaza is expected to begin on Monday morning, Hamas and Israeli officials said over the weekend, according to The Times of Israel.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas has been given a window of 72 hours to return the 48 hostages after an initial withdrawal by the Israeli military from parts of Gaza.

The Israeli outlet revealed a message by the government’s pointman on the hostages, Gal Hirsch, who told their relatives that “the process of releasing your loved ones — our loved ones, the hostages — will begin on Monday morning”.

He added: “Living hostages will be handed over to us, and it is expected that the remains of fallen hostages will also be transferred to us.”

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told AFP that “according to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter.”

The Israel Defense Forces has warned they “are prepared for any development and remain present, ready for action until all our hostages return”.

IDF Commander of the 98th Division said: “We are prepared for any development and remain present, ready for action until all our hostages return. We will embrace the living and salute the fallen. Know that you are the heroes of victory; together, we will continue to fulfill every mission required of us.”

Tens of thousands of people took part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney’s central business district on Sunday, organisers said, after a court blocked plans to hold the protest at the Sydney Opera House.

The Palestine Action Group, which organised the rally, estimated around 30,000 people attended in Sydney, one of 27 protests across Australia including in Melbourne. Police did not provide a crowd estimate.

The demonstrations come as Israeli troops pull back under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, following a war that has killed tens of thousands and left much of the enclave in ruins.

Amal Naser, one of the Sydney rally organisers, said:

“Even if the ceasefire holds, Israel is still conducting a military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The occupation as well as systemic discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel constitute an Apartheid system.”

Footage from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed protesters marching on closed city streets, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyeh scarves. Police reported no arrests.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, representing more than 200 Jewish organisations, condemned the protest organisers. Co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said they “want the deal to fail, which would mean the war would continue.”

The families of 48 hostages met with special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump at Hostages Square, ahead of the release on Monday.

The families thanked them for their instrumental role in securing the historic deal to bring all their loved ones home.

During the meeting, Witkoff emphasised the United States’ unwavering commitment to the mission and continuing their work, not leaving anyone behind.

The families expressed their deep appreciation for the continued support and dedication shown by the US administration.

By Monday, Hamas is to begin releasing the remaining 48 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, around 20 of them believed to be alive.

Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinians, including senior militants convicted of deadly attacks, as well as people convicted of lesser offences and those held without charge under what is known as administrative detention.

About 200 US troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas.

They will set up a center to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance.

“This great effort will be achieved with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the US military’s Central Command. Israel said Witkoff, Kushner and Cooper met with senior US and Israeli military officials in Gaza on Saturday.