The Kabul Tribune (KT) - A fragile ceasefire between Israel
and Hamas held for a third consecutive day on Sunday as U.S. President Donald
Trump prepared to visit Israel for a high-profile address to the Knesset, the
country’s parliament, before traveling to Egypt for a global summit on ending
the Gaza war.
Thousands of Palestinians continued moving north toward Gaza
City - the epicenter of Israeli bombardments over the past two months - hoping
the ongoing truce could pave the way for a permanent end to the conflict.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Ben-Nun Sion said
Israel expects the next phase of hostage releases to begin Monday morning, with
20 captives set to be freed simultaneously.
She added that Israel is prepared to receive the hostages
earlier if their release takes place ahead of schedule. Following the release
of the living captives, the bodies of 28 others who were killed are expected to
be handed over.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas must
release the remaining hostages it captured during the group’s surprise October
7, 2023 attack on Israel — the assault that ignited the war — by midday Monday.
Israel’s hostage affairs coordinator, Gal Hirsch, said
Thursday that a special task force has been established to locate the remains
of captives whose whereabouts Hamas claims it cannot determine.
Trump’s visit and speech before the Knesset are expected to
focus on U.S. support for Israel, regional stability, and diplomatic efforts to
secure a lasting peace.
