CAIRO, October 13. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said implementation of his Gaza settlement plan’s stages three and four has begun.
Speaking on the outcomes of the peace summit in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, where a ceasefire agreement was signed, Trump said all preconditions were in place for a lasting peace in the Middle East.
"All the momentum now is toward a great, glorious and lasting peace, and our commitment to fulfilling the 20-point plan we developed together will be the crucial foundation for achieving that bright future," Trump said. "And it's being worked on right now as we speak, and we're actually in stage three and four."
On September 29, the White House unveiled the US president’s "comprehensive plan" to resolve the Gaza conflict, consisting of 20 points. The proposal includes temporary external administration of the enclave and the deployment of international stabilization forces. On October 9, Trump said that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first stage of the peace plan. According to him, this stage involves the release of all hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops to the agreed line in Gaza.
On October 13, Hamas and other Palestinian groups released all the 20 living hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal. The hostages were handed over to the Israeli military through the Red Cross and are already in Israel’s territory. In turn, Israel will release 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life or long sentences.