PM Modi welcomes release of all Israeli hostages, lauds Trump's ‘unwavering peace efforts’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the release of all Israeli hostages by the Palestinian militant group Hamas under the US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.

"We welcome the release of all hostages after over two years of captivity," PM Modi posted on X on Monday.

He added, "Their freedom stands as a tribute to the courage of their families, the unwavering peace efforts of President Trump and the strong resolve of Prime Minister Netanyahu."

"We support President Trump’s sincere efforts to bring peace to the region," PM Modi said.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan

As many as 20 hostages were released Monday as part of an agreement intended to end the war that began on October 7, 2023. The bodies of the remaining 28 dead hostages are also to be handed over as part of the deal, although the exact timing remained unclear.

Israel and Hamas are in the early stages of implementing the first phase of Trump's plan.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final hostages held by Hamas; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters travelling with him aboard Air Force One. “I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasising that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

However, the truce remains tenuous, and the sides have not agreed on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm.

Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries on peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.

When did Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began?

The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.