‘We’re on cusp of TRUE peace in the Middle East,’ says Vance as 20 surviving Israeli hostages head to freedom
THE 20 surviving hostages of Gaza were heading to freedom today as US Vice President JD Vance said: “We’re on the cusp of true peace in the Middle East.”
Sources said Hamas were set to free the men at 6am local time (4am UK) in a seismic moment for Israel and the world.
Some victims are feared to have lost half their body weight after two years chained up in the terrorists’ tunnels following their kidnap.
They will be checked over by medics — mobile intensive care units will be standing by just in case — before meeting their families.
They will then be taken to hospitals for treatment for physical and mental damage suffered during their abduction, mistreatment and torture.
It comes as PM Keir Starmer will visit Egypt today to attend a landmark peace summit, where he will announce £20million of UK aid to help with water and hygiene services for civilians in Gaza.
Sir Keir said: “We stand determined to seize this opportunity to deliver a lasting peace.”
Ahead of the hostages’ release, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square.
Many visited a tunnel where messages for the kidnapped were left along with a poster thanking US President Donald Trump.
He is flying to Israel and may speak to freed captives — and address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
He will then fly to the peace summit at Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.
No representatives from Israel or Hamas will attend.
Western leaders and Arab states who back the deal will press Hamas to disarm and urge Israel not to bombard the 25-mile Gaza Strip.
Hamas has threatened to derail the peace deal by refusing to lay down weapons.
In a positive move yesterday it agreed to hand over power but said it would not disband.
The group said it was struggling to locate up to 15 of the 28 bodies due to be returned to Israel.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians mobbed aid trucks as they left Khan Younis, a main distribution point in the southern strip.
Police and security patrols were seen at key intersections, including Deir al Balah city in central Gaza.
In the US, JD Vance stressed that US troops would be monitoring the terms of the ceasefire.
He said it was “not our intention” to have troops on the ground.
On the peace deal, Israeli president Isaac Herzog said: “This is a historic moment that can also provide a genuine horizon of hope and change for the Middle East.”
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