Steve Linde: CBS Radio Correspondent on the hostage release and signing of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas

The components of a Gaza ceasefire agreement seem to be falling into place.  

The heads of the US, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar have signed off the deal at a summit of world leaders in Egypt. 

Hamas has released 20 living Israeli hostages and four of the 28 deceased in exchange for Israel freeing about two thousand Palestinians.  

CBS Radio's Steve Linde told Mike Hosking the fact the Trump administration's so firmly behind this deal is significant.  

He says for the first time, there's a hopeful feeling in the air, but the Middle East is a very volatile place and anything can spark it off again. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
At least so far, so good. Twenty living hostages back
via the Red Cross. Israel released nearly two thousand prisoners.
The US President left Israel, and as you've heard, has
been in Egypt as part of the so called peace process.
Steve Linder is with CBS Radio in Jerusalem, is back
with this.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Morning Hello from Jerusalem.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
How did it feel.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well? Today felt like really a very dramatic day here
in Israel. For the first time, I personally felt like
I could breathe after the war was over after two
really long, harrowing years, and Israel's twenty live hostages were freed.

(00:43):
Four bodies were released, even though there's still another twenty
four that are being delayed for some reason, and Israel,
for its part, three two thousand Palestinian prisoners, many of
them convicted terrorists. All in all, it was an incredibly
dramatic day. And now they're having a big summit in Charmel,

(01:06):
in Sharmalech, the resort town in Egypt where I've just
come from, and it should be a very dramatic time.
But yes, the highlight probably was the hostage release. From
Israel's point of view. The Palestinian prisoner released from the
Palistinian point of view, and the end of the war
from the point of view of the Hole add.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Least plenty of standing emotions in the Kanessa. For the
US president, is he a hero was seen as a
hero locally there at the moment?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well, he certainly was given a heroes welcome in the cansset,
and he spoke for a very long time, over an hour.
But there were a couple of interruptions, including from two
members of Knesset from the left to tried to interrupt,
and they were very quickly evicted from the parliamentary building.

(01:57):
But otherwise he was given a standing vision all the
way through, and literally everything he said, and he said
some crazy things was well received in Israel.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
This the next few days, the next few weeks, Whatever
has did? I been the easy part? In other words,
does piece hold? Is the war really over? Do they
rebuild Gaza? Is the eye gonna flow?

Speaker 3 (02:19):
And all the other questions, well, I think the fact
seriously that President Trump has put the full weight of
his office behind this steal is very significant, and it's
taken a while, but he really has shown that together
with Katar and Egypt and and the.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Other media media, as he can push them all to
make a deal. So yes, for the first time, there
is hope, hopeful feeling in the air, but you can
you can never tell. You know, the Middle East is
a very volatile place and literally anything can spark it
off again. And I'm just hoping from Israel's point of

(02:59):
view that the rest of the bodies are found and returned,
because that could be problematic. And from the Palestinian point
of view, you know, I hope that they don't feel
it necessary now to resume some of the terrorist campaign
against Israel, because you know, this has been a really

(03:20):
terrible two years for both.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Sides, and indeed they appreciate Steveland, Who's with CBS in
Jerusalem this morning.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
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