24 Israeli hostages have  returned home — but 24 families are still waiting

Twenty living Israeli hostages were released by Hamas and returned to Israel on Monday as part of the hostage and ceasefire deal reached last week after 737 days in captivity in Gaza.

The living hostages, Bar Avraham Kuperstein, Evyatar David, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zangauker, David Cunio, Eitan Horn, Matan Angrest, Eitan Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Rom Braslavski, and Ariel Cunio were brought home.

Only four of the bodies of the remaining 28 hostages were set to be released later on Monday. Hamas has claimed that it is unable to access or find some of the other bodies.

The agreement signed last week stipulated that all Israeli hostages must be released within 72 hours of the Israeli government approving the deal. If any of the remains of the deceased hostages couldn’t be recovered within that time period, Hamas would be required to provide Israel with any information it has on the location of the remains. It is unclear as of yet if there will be an Israeli response to the failure to return some of the deceased hostages. A task force involving the deal mediators and the Red Cross is set to work to ensure all the remains are recovered.

In return for the release of the hostages, Israel released Palestinian security prisoners on Monday, including 250 serving life sentences or other lengthy terms.

A task force formed by the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and other countries, approved by both Israel and Hamas, will work to ensure the ceasefire is implemented. Several hundred American troops arrived in Israel last week to start monitoring the ceasefire. Troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are expected to join the U.S. team.

Only the first phase

This agreement is only the first phase of a 20-point plan released by U.S. President Donald Trump two weeks ago. At the end of this phase, Israel will still hold over half of the Gaza Strip, and Hamas will remain armed and present in Gaza.

The rest of Trump’s plan includes steps meant to lead to a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.

These steps include:

• The disarmament of Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.
• The creation of an international security force to enforce this disarmament and police the Strip.
• The creation of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, joined by international experts, to temporarily govern Gaza.
• A “Board of Peace” run by the U.S. and other countries to handle the funding for Gaza’s reconstruction.
• The implementation of sweeping reforms in the Palestinian Authority, including educational and political reform. Once these reforms are completed, control of Gaza will be transferred from the temporary committee to the PA.
• The plan includes other details as well about the entry and exit of Palestinians from the Strip and the handling of humanitarian aid.

While finalizing the hostage deal was already difficult, achieving these other steps will be even more of a challenge. Hamas has already publicly rejected many of these demands, including the requirement to disarm and to give up any role in the future governance of Gaza. In the days since the first phase of the agreement was signed, the terrorist movement repeatedly reiterated its rejection of these demands.

Additionally, Israel has made clear it won’t fully withdraw from Gaza until its war goals are achieved, including the dismantling of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza.

World leaders meet in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace

After visiting Israel, Trump headed to Sham el-Sheikh for a summit with leaders from Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Armenia, Hungary, Pakistan, Canada, Norway, and Iraq. The Secretary Generals of the United Nations and the Arab League, as well as the president of the European Council, also took part in the summit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also invited at the last minute but declined, citing the Shmini Atzeret holiday, which began on Monday evening. Israeli prime ministers, including Netanyahu, generally avoid holding official functions on the Sabbath and holidays, although there have been exceptions for certain press statements and urgent meetings. The rejection of the invitation sparked confusion in Israel, as Netanyahu and other prime ministers have made exceptions for smaller events, including congratulatory messages during the Olympics.

Government officials told Israeli media that the actual reason Netanyahu declined the invitation was due to the concern that he would need to shake the hand of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas was also invited late to the summit, just a day before the event. Additionally, several Arab leaders who planned to participate in the summit reportedly threatened to withdraw if Netanyahu joined. Several of the countries taking part do not have diplomatic relations with Israel and generally refuse to interact with Israeli officials.