On Monday, Hamas released the last living prisoners from the Gaza Strip under a ceasefire agreement, while Israel sent buses carrying Palestinian prisoners. US President Donald Trump declared the end of a two-year war that had turned the Middle East upside down.

Hours later, Trump met with Muslim and European leaders in Egypt to discuss Gaza’s future and the possibility of broader regional peace, despite Hamas and Israel—both absent from the gathering—not yet agreeing on next steps.

The Israeli army announced it had received all 20 living prisoners transferred by the Red Cross from Gaza. Thousands greeted them with cheers, hugs, and tears upon their arrival at the “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv.

In Gaza, large crowds of relatives gathered, many crying tears of joy at a hospital where buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel arrived. Israel is expected to release about 2,000 prisoners and detainees in total.

Trump told the Israeli Knesset, “The sky is clear, the guns are silent, the sirens are quiet, and the sun rises on a holy land finally at peace.” He described the war as a “long nightmare” for Israelis and Palestinians but said it was now over.

The United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey mediated what was described as the first phase of an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire and prisoner releases.

More than 20 World Leaders at the Peace Summit

Later that day at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, Trump and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted more than 20 world leaders at a summit aimed at consolidating the truce.

At the summit’s start, Trump signed a document with leaders from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey welcoming the Gaza agreements and pledging “collective work to implement and sustain this legacy.”

The Egyptian presidency said discussions included Gaza’s governance, security, and reconstruction.

Trump said at the summit, “Now begins the reconstruction,” delivering a lengthy speech in which he called the Gaza agreement he helped broker potentially “the greatest of agreements.”

El-Sisi also expressed hope the agreement would “close a painful chapter in human history and open the door to a new era of peace and stability in the Middle East.”

He added, “We reaffirm our support and aspiration to implement this plan, creating the political horizon necessary to implement the two-state solution, considered the only way to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples to close the chapter of conflict and live in security.”

No representatives from Israel or Hamas attended the summit. Before signing, Trump shook hands with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who spoke extensively with the US president. The Palestinian Authority seeks a significant role in Gaza’s future administration despite Israeli objections.

Remaining Obstacles

The released Israeli prisoners today were the last survivors among 251 captives taken in a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and sparked the war.

The ceasefire and partial Israeli withdrawal agreed last week halted one of the largest Israeli offensives in the war, a comprehensive assault on Gaza City that was killing dozens daily.

Thousands of Palestinians returned to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Gaza health authorities say the Israeli military campaign killed about 68,000 people, and large parts of Gaza have been reduced to rubble.

However, significant obstacles remain to sustaining the ceasefire and achieving broader lasting peace. Among the urgent unresolved issues is how to recover the remains of 26 prisoners and determine the fate of two others.

Hamas says recovering the remains will take time due to uncertain burial locations. The Israeli army said it accompanied 40 coffins containing remains of dead prisoners to Israel and is trying to identify the remains’ owners.

Relief supplies are expected to flow into Gaza at a higher rate under the ceasefire plan. UN aid coordinator Tom Fletcher emphasized the need to “provide shelter and fuel to those most in need, and significantly increase food, medicine, and other supplies entering the Strip.”

Otherwise, the sides have not yet agreed on other steps that have previously stalled truce efforts, such as how to govern the devastated Gaza Strip after the fighting ends, and Hamas’s final fate, as it refuses Israel’s demands to disarm.

A Palestinian security official said Monday that Hamas security forces killed 32 gang members in Gaza City in a campaign launched after Israeli forces withdrew.

Trump said during his flight to the region that Hamas was given a temporary green light to maintain order, “They want to stop problems, they are open to that, and we gave them approval for a period of time.”

The war reshaped the Middle East through conflicts involving Israel, Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis.

Trump also hinted at a possible peace deal between Iran and Israel in his Knesset speech, saying he believes Iran wants it and added, “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Joy and Relief on Both Sides

Two prisoners waved joyfully and relieved from inside trucks to crowds waiting for them before heading to an Israeli hospital.

Touching video footage showed families receiving phone calls from prisoners during their release.

Vicky Cohen, mother of prisoner Nimrod Cohen, said while heading to the Israeli military base where the hostages would be taken, “I am very excited. I am overwhelmed with happiness. It’s hard to describe how I feel right now. I didn’t sleep all night.”

Palestinians rushed to embrace freed prisoners upon their arrival by buses to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday.

Thousands gathered inside and around Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, awaiting the arrival of freed prisoners. Some waved the Palestinian flag, others held pictures of their relatives.

Umm Ahmed, fighting back tears, said that despite her joy at their release, she still felt mixed emotions about the day.

She told Reuters in a voice message, “I am happy for our children who are being freed, but at the same time, we have pain because of all the people who were martyred and killed by the occupation and because of all the destruction that happened.”

Freed prisoners waved victory signs from bus windows upon arrival.

The appearance of Hamas fighters Monday at Nasser Hospital highlighted the difficulty of dispelling Israeli fears about the armed group’s continued control over Gaza, which it has governed since 2007.

Under the agreement, Israel will release 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment, in addition to 1,700 Palestinian detainees held in Gaza since the war began.