Trump announces location for Gaza agreement signing and hostage release date

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that Hamas militants would release all remaining hostages in the first half of next week, with the signing of a final agreement on Gaza scheduled to take place in Egypt.

“We have secured the release of all remaining Hamas hostages, and they are expected to be freed on Monday or Tuesday,” Trump said, noting that the hostage release process was complex and required careful coordination.

“We will travel to Egypt, where an additional agreement will be signed. We already signed the deal in my name, but now an official signing will take place,” the President added.

Trump said Middle Eastern countries - from Qatar to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - both wealthy and less affluent, “have united.”

“The Gaza Strip will be rebuilt. Some of the countries in this region possess immense wealth, and even a small portion of their revenues could do wonders for Gaza”, he said.

On October 9, President Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed the first phase of the American peace plan. He said Hamas had effectively agreed to release all hostages and to the withdrawal of Israeli forces to agreed lines.

A day earlier, on October 8, Trump had also announced his upcoming visit to the Middle East, which is expected to take place on October 12.