🔗 Share this article Israelis along with Palestinians Mark Captive and Detainee Freedom while Crucial Truce Matters Persist The Israeli government together with Hamas proceeded forward on an important initial phase of the tenuous Gaza ceasefire agreement this Monday through releasing hostages and prisoners, raising hopes that the US-brokered agreement could result in a permanent end to the devastating 24-month conflict. Nevertheless, contentious issues including if the Hamas movement will disarm and who would administer the Gaza Strip remain unresolved, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire. Major Developments The Hamas organization freed the last 20 living captives within Gaza this Monday as part of an exchange agreement for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees in a rare moment of joy among Israeli people & Palestinian citizens. World leaders from over 20 countries later met in Egypt during a conference co-chaired by President Trump together with Egypt's president President al-Sisi to try to ensure the temporary ceasefire is extended toward lasting peace. "Finally, peace has arrived in the Middle East," President Trump announced during the gathering. America's president endorsed a joint declaration alongside the leaders of Egypt, Qatar as well as Turkish authorities intended to turn the ceasefire into a coherent peace plan. In Israel, President Trump spoke before Israel's parliament earlier on Monday, encouraging legislators to grasp a chance for wider peace within the region stating that a "long nightmare" for both Israelis & Palestinian people was over. Within Tel Aviv an estimated sixty-five thousand Israelis at "Hostages Square" cheered when a military helicopter carrying the twenty released Israeli citizens passed above heading toward medical facilities. Real-time video showing their freedom and family reunions was televised in the plaza. A substantial gathering also assembled in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis this Monday to mark the homecoming of nearly seventeen hundred Palestinians detained over the course of the conflict. The UN warned that Gaza continued requiring "lifesaving aid". Aid deliveries had started arriving in Gaza with many additional were prepared to arrive in the coming days. The previous Gaza truce collapsed after two months in March when Israel resumed its offensive. President Trump maintained his 20-point proposal for sustaining peace and reconstructing Gaza would take root. The ceasefire appeared to be holding within Gaza this Monday following a twenty-four month Israeli military campaign that has killed nearly 68,000 people. Two-State Resolution Debate The two-state solution would see an independent Palestinian nation in the West Bank and Gaza that would exist alongside the State of Israel. This Palestinian state would broadly be drawn according to boundaries that existed prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and would have east Jerusalem as its governmental center. Prime Minister Netanyahu's administration has consistently opposed a two-state resolution. International Perspectives Upon questioning on Air Force One if his deal and the homecoming of all twenty surviving Israeli hostages could lead to a Palestinian nation, President Trump stated: "We're discussing reconstructing Gaza. I'm not discussing one state or double state. We're focusing on the rebuilding of Gaza. Many individuals prefer the one-state solution. Certain individuals favor the two-state resolutions. We'll have to see. I haven't expressed opinion on that." According to the Sharm el-Sheikh declaration, the signatories committed to "seek a comprehensive vision of peace, safety and mutual prosperity in the region".