Netanyahu Races Against Time As Hamas Drops Shocking Plan: Trump’s Arrival Turns Into Hostage Drama?

 

In a dramatic twist, Hamas has told Israel it is ready to release 20 hostages as early as Sunday, just hours before Donald Trump lands in Israel for his Middle East peace tour. The Wall Street Journal reports that the handover could align with Trump’s arrival on October 13, marking the first concrete step under his Gaza peace plan. Israel has activated a full-scale security and hospital operation to receive hostages, while U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian teams monitor the exchange.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is set to become the first foreign leader to meet President Donald Trump at the White House in his second term on Tuesday, at a critical juncture for the Gaza ceasefire.

After Netanyahu's arrival in Washington, the Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, who took up his post one week ago, described this as "an historic visit" on X. "The US-Israel friendship is strong and is getting stronger," he added.

Trump has claimed credit for sealing the initial six-week ceasefire deal halting 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. So far, this has led to 13 Israeli and five Thai hostages being freed and 583 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange.

However, Netanyahu - facing a struggle for his political survival - has repeatedly stated that the existing Gaza deal is for a temporary ceasefire and that Israel has reserved "the right to return to fighting" against Hamas, saying this would have US backing.

Already one of the veteran Israeli PM's far-right allies has quit his coalition over what he described as a "reckless" deal. Another has threatened to leave if the military offensive does not resume. If he left, the government would lose its majority.