(MENAFN- Live Mint) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, October 12, that his country is ready to "immediately receive" 48 Israeli hostages - 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Palestinian militant group Hamas also pledged to release them by a Monday deadline in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners.

"Israel is prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages," Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said,“We are expecting all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross and transported in six to eight vehicles."

The Israeli government's statement came days after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal proposed by US President Donald Trump over the Gaza Strip.

Trump's peace proposal

Trump's plan for ending the Gaza war holds out the prospect of the Palestinian Authority, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and led by President Mahmoud Abbas, eventually taking control of Gaza, but only after it completes reforms.

Abbas lost control of Gaza to the Hamas militant group in 2007.

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Trump's proposal also says that Hamas must end its rule of Gaza. It foresees the territory being run by a Palestinian technocratic committee supervised by an international body chaired by him and including former British PM Tony Blair.

According to the plan, Hamas would also relinquish power and disarm. A Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that Hamas' disarmament was "out of the question."

Hostage exchange on Monday? Details emerge

Israel's Shosh Bedrosian noted that Israel did not expect militants to stage the exchanges in the same manner as previous rounds.

He was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the hostages will be driven to a military base to reunite with their families or, if needed, immediately to a hospital.

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After the hostages are freed, Israel is ready to release about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and receive the 28 hostages believed to be dead.

Timing has not yet been announced for the release of the Palestinian prisoners held in Israel who are to be freed under the deal.

The military planned to hold a ceremony on their behalf in Gaza, Bedrosian added.

The dead are expected to be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.

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Meanwhile, an international task force will start working to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within the 72-hour period, said Gal Hirsch, Israel's coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing.

Officials said the search for the bodies of hostages, some of which may be buried under rubble, could take time.

Trump to visit Israel, Egypt

US President Donald Trump, who pushed to clinch the ceasefire deal, is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday morning. He will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, according to a schedule released by the White House.

According to the Associated Press, Trump will then go to Egypt, where Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is set to host a“peace summit” on Monday with regional and international leaders.

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The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.

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