Trump's plan: 72 hours have started, in which Hamas must release hostages and Israel must release prisoners

The three-day deadline for the Hamas terrorist group to release Israeli hostages and the latter to release Palestinian prisoners has begun. About the start of the deadline wrote special envoy of the president of the United States for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

According to him, the U.S. Central Command (operating in the Middle East and Central Asia) confirmed that Israeli forces completed the first stage of the withdrawal in the Gaza Strip at 12:00 local time (the same time as in Kyiv).

Therefore, a 72-hour deadline for the release of the hostages has begun, Witkoff said.

Earlier, on the night of October 10, the Israeli government approved the deal of the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

The day before, on the 9th, the group's chief spokesman Khalil al-Haya reported about the ceasefire in the Strip, recalling that Israel must release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans who have been arrested since the beginning of the war.

The release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, is the first stage of the US president Donald Trump's plan for the end of the war in Gaza.

Israel withdrew its troops to the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip, leaving about 53% of the region under its control. Trump's plan envisions that Israel will gradually withdraw its armed forces from the sector.

• US president said Hamas must release all hostages on October 13 or 14.