By JERUSALEM, Oct 12 (AfrikTimes) — The war in Gaza has ended and the Middle East is set to “normalize,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday as he flew to Israel, where officials awaited the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas while world leaders gathered to discuss the next steps toward peace.
“The war is over, you understand that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he began a flight from Washington to Israel. Asked about prospects for the region, Trump said, “I think it’s going to normalize.”
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held in Gaza for a third consecutive day on Sunday ahead of the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as Trump prepared to address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
Thousands of Palestinians continued to move north toward Gaza City — the epicenter of Israeli attacks over the past two months — hoping the ceasefire would mark the end of the war.
Palestinians walk near rubble in the aftermath of an Israeli offensive carried out before a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza City, October 12, 2025.
“Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path. A path of building, a path of healing, and I hope — a path of uniting hearts,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address.
Such optimism was shared broadly. “There is a lot of joy among the people,” said Abdou Abu Seada, a resident of Gaza who added that the joy was tempered by exhaustion after two years of war that has destroyed much of Gaza.
Government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Israel expected hostages to start being released early Monday morning, with the 20 living hostages to be released together.
In the event that hostages were released earlier, Israel was ready to receive them, she said. Their release is to be followed later by the handover of bodies of the remaining 28 deceased hostages.
TRUMP DUE TO ADDRESS THE KNESSET
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is due by noon on Monday (0900 GMT) to release the remaining hostages. They were taken captive on October 7, 2023, when the group’s fighters launched the surprise attack on Israel that ignited the war.
Israel’s hostages coordinator, Gal Hirsch, said on Thursday that a special task force would be formed to help find the remains of any dead hostages that Hamas could not locate.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday to address the Knesset before traveling to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for a world leaders’ summit focused on ending the Gaza war.
Palestinians collect aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip October 12, 2025.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also attend the summit in Egypt, an Axios reporter said on Sunday, citing a senior Palestinian official.
On Saturday, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner addressed a rally in Tel Aviv, which many Israelis hoped would be the final demonstration urging the release of hostages and an end to the war.
The U.S., together with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, mediated what has been described as a first-phase agreement between Israel and Hamas, establishing a ceasefire and arranging for the release of hostages by Hamas and the release of prisoners and detainees by Israel.
“For two years we have been waiting for this day, for this moment… All of us feel happy for the families, for the hostages, that finally… we will see them,” said demonstrator Dalia Yosef, thanking Trump.
Palestinians collect aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 12.
PRISONER RELEASES AND SECURITY MEASURES
The Israel Prison Service said it had transferred some Palestinian prisoners to other facilities ahead of their expected release. The Israeli Ministry of Justice has released the names of 250 Palestinians, convicted of murder and other serious crimes, who are to be freed under the deal.
The list does not include senior Hamas commanders whom the Palestinian resistance group had sought to free, nor prominent figures from other factions such as Marwan Al Barghouti or Ahmed Saadat.
Although that was not expected to derail the agreement, Hamas’ prisoners information office said talks were ongoing with Israeli mediators over the list of prisoners to be freed.
Israel is also to release 1,700 Palestinians who have been detained in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and 22 Palestinian minors, along with the bodies of 360 fighters. Israeli government spokesperson Bedrosian said the prisoners would be released once the living hostages reach Israeli territory.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that once the hostages were returned, the military would destroy underground tunnels in Gaza built by Hamas.
Military vehicles are gathered near the Israel-Gaza border, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in southern Israel, October 12, 2025.
GAZANS RETURNING TO NORTH FIND DEVASTATION
Palestinians returning to northern Gaza have described widespread devastation. Rescue workers warned there could be unexploded ordnance and bombs in the area.
Amjad Al Shawa, who heads a Palestinian organisation coordinating with aid groups, estimated 300,000 tents were needed to temporarily house 1.5 million displaced Gazans.
“We couldn’t believe the destruction we have seen,” Rami Mohammad-Ali, 37, said by phone after walking 15 km (9.5 miles) with his son from Deir Al Balah to Gaza City.
A drone view shows Palestinians walking past rubble following the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, in Gaza City, October 12.
“We are joyful to return to Gaza (City) but at the same time we have bitter feelings about the destruction,” he said, describing seeing human remains scattered along roads.
