Trump: When Hamas confirms withdrawal line from Gaza, hostage and prisoner exchange will begin

(Patria) - Ahead of the meeting between representatives of Israel and Hamas, which is to be held in Egypt, President Donald Trump announced on his social network Truth Social that Israel has agreed to an "initial withdrawal line" from Gaza and that Hamas confirmation is awaited.

"After negotiations, Israel has agreed to an initial withdrawal line that we have shared with Hamas. When Hamas confirms, a ceasefire will immediately take effect, the exchange of hostages and prisoners will begin, and we will create conditions for the next phase of withdrawal," Trump reported.

He added that this would mean approaching "the end of this 3000-year-old catastrophe".

Withdrawal map and current situation

The initial withdrawal line, according to the map Trump published, shows the approximate Israeli lines of control in the Strip before the major offensive on the city of Gaza, which began last month. At that time, the IDF held about 70 percent of Gaza's territory, meaning the IDF would continue to maintain a presence in the southern part of Gaza, Rafah and Khan Younis, and in large parts of the northern Strip along with its buffer zone in other parts of the territory, the Times of Israel reports.

Netanyahu expects the return of all hostages

Before Trump's announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the public via video message on Saturday evening, stating that he expects the return of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in the coming days. He rejected claims by critics who say Hamas was ready to do so a year or even two years ago without a complete IDF withdrawal from Gaza.

"That is a lie. What led to Hamas's change of stance was solely the military and diplomatic pressure we exerted," he added.

He also thanked his "dear friend President Trump" for his military support to Israel. He also said that he told his negotiating team, led by Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, to go to Cairo to determine the "technical details" of the hostage release.

In the second phase of the agreement, he emphasized, "Hamas will be disarmed, and the Gaza Strip will be demilitarized".

Hamas ready to hand over hostages under conditions

According to sources close to Hamas, they plan to send a delegation to Egypt on Sunday evening to discuss the peace plan. Hamas has stated that it is fundamentally ready to hand over all living and deceased hostages. However, this is conditional on the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, as stated in the peace plan, and "ensuring appropriate conditions for exchange on the ground," although these conditions were not further specified.

Currently, there are 48 hostages in Hamas's hands, and according to Israeli information, 20 hostages are still alive.