Israeli subject helicopters hold successful mentation to instrumentality hostages released by Hamas successful Gaza to hospitals successful Israel aft they get successful the confederate Reim service basal connected October 13, 2025.
Maya Levin | Afp | Getty Images
BAGHDAD — Palestinian militant radical Hamas released the archetypal 7 surviving Israeli hostages connected Monday, marking the archetypal signifier of a ceasefire woody brokered with the assistance of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces, the hostages were handed implicit to the International Committee of the Red Cross successful Gaza.
Another transportation involving 13 surviving hostages and 28 further captives — including 26 confirmed dormant and 2 whose presumption remains uncertain — is expected to follow.
As portion of the agreement, Israel was besides scheduled to escaped astir 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners aboriginal connected Monday.
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, successful an interrogation with CNBC, said Trump is "serious astir achieving peace" aft Washington helped broker a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas, up of a high-stakes acme successful Egypt aimed astatine ending the two-year warfare successful Gaza.
Egypt is acceptable to big much than 20 satellite leaders, including Trump, successful the Red Sea edifice of Sharm el-Sheikh connected Monday for talks expected to absorption connected securing a lasting bid and rebuilding the devastated enclave.
Al-Sudani called the U.S. inaugural "important" and expressed anticipation the truce would beryllium "sustainable and the opening of a extremist solution to this problem."
"The Palestinian contented is the basal of the occupation successful the Middle East," helium told CNBC's Dan Murphy. "It is clip to find solutions done dialog and respect for planetary institutions and agreements."
The comments travel aft a two-year struggle sparked by Hamas' onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, which killed immoderate 1,200 people, portion hundreds were taken hostage. Israel's effect near much than 67,000 Palestinians dead, including thousands of civilians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Al-Sudani said Iraq supports "every peaceful solution that leads to an extremity to this war," informing that civilians successful Gaza look not lone bombardment but besides "hunger, thirst, and the deficiency of the astir basal necessities of life."
"Iraq is simply a state that has suffered the astir from wars," helium added. "We are delicate to each these problems that harm the humanitarian community."
Postwar plans
When asked astir reports that erstwhile British Prime Minister Tony Blair would assistance coordinate Gaza's postwar transition, Al-Sudani described Blair arsenic "a large person of the Iraqis" and welcomed his involvement.
"According to the plan, determination was a request for an planetary medication oregon idiosyncratic to assistance ... successful managing this transitional process," helium said, citing the urgent request to reconstruct services and present aid.
On whether Iraq mightiness normalize ties with Israel, Al-Sudani said Baghdad's stance is defined by instrumentality and "a principled position."
"Our authorities belongs to a parliamentary strategy and is bound by the laws enacted by Parliament," helium said.
Israel, helium added, "has unluckily committed galore crimes against the Palestinian radical implicit decades. The Palestinians contiguous merit a amended world and a amended future."
Regional flashpoints
Turning to broader determination tensions, Al-Sudani cautioned that bid efforts cannot beryllium constricted to Gaza.
"Syria surely represents a nationalist information contented for Iraq, and it besides affects the nationalist information of each countries successful the region," helium said.
He described Israeli incursions into Syrian territory arsenic "incorrect and unacceptable," saying they interruption planetary instrumentality and "entrench instability successful a state that everyone is keen to spot recover."
The premier curate added that remnants of the Islamic State radical proceed to run successful Syria, having seized weapons from the erstwhile Syrian army.
"They correspond a existent menace to each countries successful the region," helium said.
"Any weakening of the medication successful Damascus volition alteration extremists to prehend power and endanger the information and stableness of this delicate region."
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