Peace plan in Gaza, hostage release could begin on Monday

The key 72 hours of the peace plan between Israel and Hamas outlined by the White House

Peace plan in Gaza, 9 October 2025 – The timing of Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza is beginning to take shape. According to White House sources speaking to CNN, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas could begin on Monday, although the timing could be brought forward. An American official explained that, after the agreement is presented to the Israeli government, ‘once it is voted through, Israel will have to withdraw to the line, which should take less than 24 hours. Then the 72-hour period will begin, and Hamas will try to withdraw earlier, if possible’.

Trump’s plan, therefore, envisages a tight sequence of events: within 24 hours of the Israeli government’s green light, the partial military withdrawal will begin; immediately afterwards, the 72 hours granted for the release of hostages and the exchange of prisoners will begin.

Peace plan in Gaza: the numbers of the exchange

A senior Hamas official told AFP that Israel will release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 20 Israeli hostages alive, specifying that among the detainees there will be 250 life prisoners and 1,700 people arrested after 7 October 2023. The exchange is expected to take place within 72 hours of the agreement’s implementation, which, according to the same source, has been “agreed with other Palestinian factions”.

Palestinian sources cited by Al-Sharq confirm that the release of hostages and prisoners held by Israel will begin “within 72 hours of the agreement coming into force”. According to the Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath, the countdown will only begin after Israeli troops have withdrawn ‘according to the agreed lines in Gaza,’ once the agreement has been ratified by the Israeli government.

Peace Plan in Gaza: the timing of the IDF withdrawal

The Trump plan also includes direct guarantees from the US president and regional mediators, with a series of ‘planned withdrawals’ of Israeli forces. The Palestinian source quoted by al-Sharq specified that the agreement provides for the withdrawal of troops from the Rafah crossing and surrounding areas, the opening of the crossing “in both directions” and the transfer of Palestinian wounded to Egypt for treatment.

During the first five days of the ceasefire, at least 400 aid trucks per day are expected to enter the Gaza Strip, with the number gradually increasing. The immediate return of displaced persons from the south of the Strip to Gaza City and the north is also planned, marking the first concrete effect of the peace plan.

The timing of the agreement therefore remains the political and diplomatic key to the entire operation: each phase — Israeli vote, withdrawal, exchange and reopening of the crossings — is synchronised to ensure that the truce is consolidated before Donald Trump’s arrival in the region.

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