On Monday, more than two years after the conflict in Gaza began – a war which has killed tens of thousands, including an estimated 20,000 children – the remaining living Israeli hostages returned home.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners – including 1,700 from Gaza who have been held by Israel without charge – were released and reunited with family.

The return of hostages and release of prisoners is all part of the first phase of Donald’s Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

Trump, who spoke before the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Monday, told cheering lawmakers that the “long and painful nightmare is finally over” and that the agreement marked a “historic dawn of a new Middle East”.

But is the US president correct? Will both sides honour the agreement and what will the next stage of this peace plan look like?

And when so many lives have been lost, where do Palestinians begin when it comes to rebuilding the Gaza Strip?

Irish Times contributors Mark Weiss and Michael Jansen discuss how Trump’s peace plan will work and what the future holds for Palestinians.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.