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The United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed a declaration on Monday at a summit on Gaza as the guarantors of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending two years of war.US President Donald Trump lauded the summit — which he co-chaired with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — as a “tremendous day” for the Middle East, while Sisi said the Gaza deal opened a “new era of peace and stability” for the region. Earlier on Monday, Trump gave a speech to Israel’s parliament following the return of 20 surviving hostages held by militants in Gaza. Israel freed nearly 2,000 mostly Palestinian detainees as part of the ceasefire agreement, with Hamas hailing their release as a “national milestone” in the Palestinian struggle.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war had reached 67,869, as it continued recovering the bodies of those killed during the war. The United Nations considers its figures to be reliable.Here are the latest developments:- Gaza summit -World leaders at a summit in Egypt signed a declaration as the guarantors of a Gaza deal aimed at ending the war.”Together we have achieved what everybody said was impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Trump said in a speech in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.”This is a tremendous day for the world, it’s a tremendous day for the Middle East,” he said in the presence of more than two dozen heads of state, government and international organisations. Sisi said the Gaza deal “opens a new era of peace and stability” for the region and marked a “historic day” that set the stage for a two-state solution.He added that his country would host a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza.After the Egyptian presidency initially announced Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected attendance, the Israeli leader said he was unable to go because the summit coincided with a Jewish holiday. Three sources told AFP Netanyahu was forced into the rapid diplomatic about-face as some leaders at the summit balked at the prospect of having to rub shoulders with him.Hamas was not represented at the gathering, though Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose movement rivals Hamas, did attend.- Hostage-prisoner exchange -As part of Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it held after two years of captivity in Gaza.In exchange, Israel released 1,968 mostly Palestinian prisoners held in its jails, its prison service said.Hamas hailed the release, calling it “an achievement that marks a bright national milestone in our ongoing struggle for freedom and liberation”. Israel confirmed all 20 living hostages had returned to the country, with a series of posts on X that read: “Welcome home”.Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is also due to return the bodies of 27 hostages who died or were killed in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza conflict. The bodies of four Israeli hostages were handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas on Monday. Israel has said it does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned the same day.- Trump speech -Trump visited Israel on Monday, where lawmakers greeted him with a standing ovation as he entered the Knesset, with Netanyahu calling him the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had in the White House.In his speech to parliament, Trump called the hostages’ release an “incredible triumph for Israel and the world”, paying credit to mediators from Arab and Muslim nations for pressuring Hamas.He also urged Palestinians to “turn forever from the path of terror” following the failure of “jihadism and antisemitism”, and vowed that the United States would “never forget” Hamas’s October 7 attack.”For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace,” he said.”Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”- Hamas post-war role -While the ceasefire and initial releases were welcomed by Israelis, Palestinians and others around the world, the coming phases in Trump’s plan for Gaza are likely to prove more complicated to implement.A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating committee told AFP on Sunday that it would not participate in governing post-war Gaza.The source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the movement has “relinquished control of the Strip”, but stressed it “remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric”.Another Hamas official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told AFP the militant group’s disarmament was “out of the question”.burs-amj/smw

Thousands of Palestinians erupted with joy in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday, as Red Cross buses brought back nearly 1,700 former prisoners.Some climbed the sides of the slowly-moving buses as they weaved their way through the dense crowds gathered at Nasser Hospital, to hug or kiss a loved one they recognised.”The greatest joy is seeing my whole family gathered to welcome me,” Yusef Afana, a 25-year-old released prisoner from north Gaza, told AFP. “I spent 10 months in prison — some of the hardest days I’ve ever lived. The pain in prison isn’t only physical; it’s pain in the soul,” he said, adding, like many of his comrades, that he hoped for all other prisoners in Israeli jails to be released soon.At Nasser Hospital, men in military fatigues and black balaclavas struggled to keep order as the prisoners wearing the Israel Prison Service’s grey jumpsuits came off the buses.Patriotic music blared on speakers, while Palestinian flags flew alongside those of Hamas or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.- ‘Erase those memories’ -Shadi Abu Sidu, a 32-year-old from Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood, alleged that he and other prisoners were mistreated in jail.”Even right before our release, they continued to mistreat and humiliate us,” he told AFP.”But now, we hope to erase those painful memories and begin life anew.”Among the Palestinians released under a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal, about 1,700 were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war, while 250 are security detainees, including many convicted of killing Israelis.Israel agreed to free them in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza, under the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end a war that was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah too, a large crowd had gathered to greet another group of roughly 100 prisoners released under the deal.Some threw victory signs while others struggled to walk without assistance as they got off the bus and were met by a crowd cheering their return.”It’s an indescribable feeling, a new birth,” Mahdi Ramadan told AFP, flanked by his parents with whom he said he would spend his first evening out of jail. Nearby, relatives exchanged hugs, young men in tears pressed their foreheads against each other — some even fainting from the emotion of seeing loved ones again after years, and sometimes decades, in jail.- ‘Beautiful moment’ -Nour Soufan, now 27 years old, was due to meet his father Moussa, who was jailed a few months after his birth, outside of jail for the first time.Soufan and half a dozen relatives came to Ramallah from Nablus, in the north of the West Bank, and spent the night in their vehicle.”I have never seen my father, and this is the first time I will see him. This is a very beautiful moment,” Soufan said.Like him, many had defied the travel restrictions that punctuate daily life in the Palestinian territory, with Israeli army checkpoints proliferating in two years of war.Palestinian media reported on Sunday that families of detainees had been contacted by Israeli authorities, asking them not to organise mass celebrations.”No reception is allowed, no celebration is allowed, no gatherings,” said Alaa Bani Odeh, who came from the northern town of Tammun to find his 20-year-old son who had been jailed for four years.AFP spoke to several prisoners who said that in their first hours of freedom, they would go home and stay with family.During previous releases, mass gatherings had flooded entire streets in Ramallah, with people waving Palestinian flags as well as those of political factions including Hamas. – ‘Live my life’ -Many prisoners wore a black-and-white keffiyeh around their necks — the traditional scarf that has become synonymous with the Palestinian cause.Some of the newly released prisoners happily let themselves be carried away on relatives’ shoulders.”Prisoners live on hope… Coming home, to our land, is worth all the gold in the world,” said one freed detainee, Samer al-Halabiyeh.”God willing, peace will prevail, and the war on Gaza will stop,” Halabiyeh added. “Now I just want to live my life.”Journalists rushed to talk to the prisoners, but many declined to engage, sometimes explaining that, before their release, they were advised not to speak.

Freed Israeli hostages and their family and friends bounded into one another’s arms Monday, beaming and crying with joy at the end of the captives’ two-year ordeal in Gaza.Wrapped in blue and white Israeli flags, those returning waved and smiled as military helicopters landed them back in Israel, AFP reporters saw, after militants freed the remaining 20 living hostages from the Palestinian territory under a US-backed ceasefire deal.None of the hostages spoke directly to AFP immediately after their return, but videos filmed and released by the Israeli military captured some of the raw emotion of the reunions.”My life, you are my life… you are a hero,” cried Einav Zangauker as she embraced her smiling son Matan, in one video.”Love of your mother, bless you, bless you, my dear.”Eitan Mor’s father wailed in relief as he and the young man’s mother squeezed him tight, the footage showed.Other young hostages such as Bar Kuperstein and Yosef Haim Ohana waved from the windows of vans that brought them to the Sheba medical centre near Tel Aviv, as cheering crowds nearby raised Israeli flags.Freed Israeli-German twins Gali and Ziv Berman smiled and gave the thumbs-up, wearing the yellow and blue shirts of their favourite football team, Maccabi Tel Aviv.- Hostages’ families rejoice -In nearby Tel Aviv, hundreds of people erupted in joy, tears and song on Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square Monday as news of the releases broke.Many had come at sunrise, carrying pictures of the hostages and waving Israeli flags bearing a yellow ribbon, a symbol of the movement calling for their release.”It’s so exciting and overwhelming that it’s finally happening,” said Shelly Bar Nir, 34.”What we’ve been fighting for, for over two years — finally our hostages are coming home.”Another woman on the square, Noga, who wore a badge that read “Last day”, shared her pain and joy with AFP.”I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” she said.Hamas and its militant allies took 251 hostages into Gaza during the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack.Many of them were released in earlier truces, but 47 people seized on October 7 remained in Gaza. Only 20 of them are alive.Since that day, Noga has worn a small badge each day, counting the days of their captivity.- ‘Welcome home’ -For the past two years, people have held frequent rallies and gatherings on this spot in Tel Aviv that has become known as Hostages Square.When the news broke that the first seven of the remaining hostages had been released on Monday, the square broke out in cheers and song.Israel later confirmed all living 20 hostages had returned to the country, with a series of posts on X that read: “Welcome home”.The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main organisation representing their relatives, had called on people to gather at the site with the yellow ribbons.As the war in the Gaza Strip has dragged on, the ribbons became ubiquitous in public spaces in Israel, from roundabouts to car door handles and stroller grips.Israel did not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday. The families’ forum branded it “a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas”.”Our struggle is not over. It will not end until the last hostage is located and returned for proper burial,” the forum said in a statement.”Only then will the people of Israel be whole.”In exchange for the hostages, Israel is due to free nearly 2,000 prisoners held in its jails, most of them Gazans detained since the start of the war.

As Donald Trump savoured the cheers of Israeli lawmakers it was a moment of triumph for the US president — and as usual he made the most of it.The 79-year-old hailed a “historic dawn” for the Middle East and declared the end of a “painful nightmare” with the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal he helped broker.But Trump also let no one forget that the deal is the high watermark so far for his own turbulent second term in the White House.”I’ve been involved in a lot of success. I have never seen anything like what’s going on today,” the Republican said, adding that people were “dancing in the streets” about the deal.Trump got a hero’s welcome from the Israeli parliament, which gave him a long standing ovation, with some audience members even wearing red MAGA-style hats saying “Trump the Peace President”.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump the “greatest friend of Israel”.In typical style Trump did not miss the chance to bash his political rivals, including former president Joe Biden, while proclaiming the United States the “hottest country in the world”.In a speech peppered with jokes that often veered off script, the former reality TV star also gave shout-outs to his friends, family and allies for helping him broker the deal. He even urged a pardon for Netanyahu over a corruption case, adding: “Cigars and some champagne — who the hell cares.”- ‘His deal’ -The rapturous reception in Israel reflected the praise that the often divisive Trump has received at home and abroad for the Gaza deal.Trump has been mocked for calling himself the “peacemaker-in-chief ” while sending US troops into cities at home, while campaigning unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize.But given that every US president for the past 20 or more years has tried and failed to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Trump’s achievement is already remarkable.Even political opponents in the United States have hailed Trump’s role in the Gaza deal, which saw the release of all living hostages held by Hamas shortly before his arrival.”This was his deal. He worked this out,” Mark Kelly, the Democratic Senator for Arizona, told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.Jake Sullivan, who as Democrat Biden’s adviser on national security handled the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, told the same program that “I give credit to President Trump”. He also praised Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was in the audience in the Knesset with Trump’s daughter Ivanka.”The question is, can we make sure this sticks as we go forward?” added Sullivan.- ‘Ultimate prize’ -After his victory lap in Israel, Trump now faces a marathon task to secure the legacy of a lasting peace in the Middle East.Trump appeared to be keenly aware of that as he used his speech to proclaim the dawn of a new regional order that could lead to long-term stability.He told the Knesset that Israel had “won all that they can through force of arms” and said it was now time “translate these victories… into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the Middle East”.But the path to peace is littered with obstacles — and Trump is not known for his attention to the fine print.Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory are all key, unresolved issues that could yet torpedo a longer-term deal.As he headed from Israel to Egypt, Trump will hope to make a start on those at the Gaza summit with around 20 world leaders in the resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.The US president jokingly admitted, however, that he may not have made the best of starts after he overstayed in Israel and kept the leaders waiting for some three hours.”I’ll be quite late. They might not be there by the time I get there,” he told the Knesset.

Donald Trump hailed an end to a “painful nightmare” in a speech to Israel’s parliament Monday, as the last surviving hostages returned home from Gaza and a group of Palestinian prisoners were freed under a ceasefire deal he spearheaded.The US president’s lightning visit came ahead of a summit on Gaza in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Trump departing Israel just hours after he had arrived.”From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” Trump told Israeli lawmakers, who gave a lengthy standing ovation upon his arrival.”For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace,” he continued. “Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over.”Israel said the last 20 surviving hostages returned home on Monday after two years in captivity in Gaza, part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that Trump had helped to broker.In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd that had gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain at the loss of those who had not survived was palpable.Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is due to release nearly 2,000 prisoners held in its jails.In the Palestinian city of Ramallah, huge crowds gathered to welcome home the first buses carrying prisoners, with some chanting “Allahu akbar”, or God is the greatest, in celebration.- ‘Emotion and sadness’ -“Welcome home,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of the hostages.On Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Noga shared her pain and joy.”I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” she said.Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is also due to return the bodies of 27 hostages who died or were killed in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza conflict. Israel has said it does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday.Among those Israel was due to release in exchange are 250 security detainees, including many convicted of killing Israelis, while about 1,700 were taken into custody by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.On October 7, 2023, militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.All but 47 of those hostages were freed in earlier truces, with the families of those who have remained in captivity leading lives of constant pain and worry for their loved ones.- ‘A new birth’ -In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with much of the territory flattened by war, the road to recovery remains long.In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel were met by a cheering crowd so dense that they struggled to get off the bus that delivered them from jail.”It’s an indescribable feeling, a new birth,” Mahdi Ramadan, newly released, told AFP flanked by his parents, with whom he said he would spend his first evening out of prison. Trump’s visit to the Middle East aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal — but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One at the start of the “very special” visit, Trump brushed off concerns about whether the ceasefire would endure.”I think it’s going to hold,” he said of the ceasefire. Trump announced in late September a 20-point plan for Gaza, which helped bring about the ceasefire.In Egypt, Trump and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of world leaders to back his plan to end the Gaza war and promote Middle East peace.While Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is due at the summit, Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli premier will not attend due to the start of a religious holiday.- ‘Guarantees’ -At the gathering, Trump will be looking to resolve some of the uncertainty around the next phases of the peace plan — including Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.Trump insisted he had “guarantees” from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.A new governing body for devastated Gaza — which Trump himself would head under his own plan — would be established “very quickly”, he added.Under the plan, as Israel conducts a partial withdrawal from Gaza, it will be replaced by a multi-national force coordinated by a US-led command centre in Israel.Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on Monday urged Trump and the mediators of the Gaza deal to “continue monitoring Israel’s conduct and to ensure it does not resume its aggression against our people”.Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,869 people, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

US President Donald Trump on Monday told the Israeli parliament that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases, should be pardoned.Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.”Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, declaring his ally Netanyahu’s one of Israel’s greatest wartime leaders.”Hey, I have an idea, Mr President,” Trump said, addressing his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, “Why don’t you give him a pardon?” “By the way, that was not in the speech, as you probably know. But I happen to like this gentleman right over here,” he added, indicating Netanyahu.The Israeli prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the three court cases, and his supporters have dismissed the long-running trials as politically motivated.Besides the gifts affair, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets in two other cases. During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.Those prompted massive protests that were only curtailed after the onset of the Gaza war.Last month, Herzog indicated that he could grant Netanyahu a pardon, saying in an interview that the prime minister’s case “weighs heavily on Israeli society”.The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza.Trump, a frequent vocal defender of Netanyahu, did not address the international case in his Knesset speech, but Washington has previously condemned the warrant and imposed sanctions on some ICC staff. In a post published on his social media network Truth Social in June, Trump called Netanyahu’s trials a “political witch hunt” that was “very similar to the witch hunt that I was forced to endure”. Trump himself has long accused his political opponents of using the Justice Department to target him during his time out of office. 

Israel said the last 20 surviving hostages returned home on Monday after two years in captivity in Gaza, as US President Donald Trump received a standing ovation from Israeli lawmakers after brokering a ceasefire with Hamas.Trump’s lightning visit to Israel came ahead of a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh co-chaired by the American president, who has declared the war in Gaza “over”.In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first hostage releases, though the pain for the loss of those who had not survived was palpable.Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is due to release nearly 2,000 prisoners held in its jails.In the Palestinian city of Ramallah, huge crowds gathered to welcome home the first buses carrying prisoners, with some chanting “Allahu akbar”, or God is the greatest, in celebration.”Welcome home,” Israel’s foreign ministry said in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of the hostages.On Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Noga shared her pain and joy.”I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back,” she said.Israel has said it does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday.Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is also due to return the bodies of the 27 hostages who died or were killed in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza conflict. Among those Israel was due to release in exchange are 250 security detainees, including many convicted of killing Israelis, while about 1,700 were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.- ‘Nothing looked the same’ -On October 7, 2023, militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.All but 47 of those hostages were freed in earlier truces, with the families of those who have remained in captivity leading lives of constant pain and worry for their loved ones.In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with much of the territory flattened by war, the road to recovery remains long.”I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling,” 38-year-old Fatima Salem told AFP after she returned to her neighbourhood in Gaza City. “My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost — nothing looked the same, even the neighbours’ houses were gone. “Despite the exhaustion and fear, I felt like I was coming back to my safe place. I missed the smell of my home, even if it’s now just rubble. We will pitch a tent next to it and wait for reconstruction.”- ‘War is over. Okay?’ -Trump’s visit to the Middle East aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal — but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One at the start of the “very special” visit, Trump brushed off concerns about whether the ceasefire would endure.”I think it’s going to hold. I think people are tired of it. It’s been centuries,” he said of the fighting. “The war is over. Okay? You understand that?” the US president added.In Israel, Trump was due to meet the families of hostages, before addressing the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem. – Final details -Trump announced in late September a 20-point plan for Gaza, which helped bring about the ceasefire.Negotiators were still wrangling late Sunday over the final arrangements for the exchanges, with two Hamas sources telling AFP the group was insisting that Israel include seven senior Palestinian leaders on the list of those to be released.Israel has previously rejected at least one of those names.After visiting Israel, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of world leaders to back his plan to end the Gaza war and promote Middle East peace.While Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is due at the summit, Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli premier will not attend due to the start of a religious holiday.In Egypt, Trump will be looking to resolve some of the huge uncertainty around the next phases of the peace plan — including Hamas’s refusal to disarm and Israel’s failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.Trump insisted he had “guarantees” from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.A new governing body for devastated Gaza — which Trump himself would head under his own plan — would be established “very quickly,” he added.Under the plan, as Israel conducts a partial withdrawal from Gaza, it will be replaced by a multi-national force coordinated by a US-led command centre in Israel.Hamas on Monday urged Trump and the mediators of the Gaza deal to ensure Israel does not resume operations in Gaza.”We call on all mediators and international parties to continue monitoring Israel’s conduct and to ensure it does not resume its aggression against our people in Gaza,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said.Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,869 people, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi has announced to AFP that he had reached a “preliminary agreement” with Damascus on the integration of his troops into Syria’s military and security forces.Abdi, who heads the powerful Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had met Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus last week, along with US envoy Tom Barrack and US commander Brad Cooper.While the Kurdish forces — who control large swathes of Syria’s oil-rich northeast — had signed an agreement with the new Syrian authorities in March to merge their civil and military institutions, the deal’s terms were not implemented.”What is new in our recent talks in Damascus is the shared determination and strong will to accelerate the implementation of the terms” of the agreement, Abdi told AFP in an interview at a military base in the northeastern city of Hasakeh on Sunday. “The most important point is having reached a preliminary agreement regarding the mechanism for integrating the SDF and the (Kurdish) Internal Security Forces within the framework of defence and interior ministries,” he added.The Washington-backed SDF and Kurdish security forces consist of around 100,000 male and female members, according to them.The SDF played a vital role in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, which ultimately led to the jihadist organisation’s territorial defeat in the country in 2019.Abdi said that military and security delegations from his forces are currently in Damascus to discuss the mechanism for their integration.- Disagreements -After the fall of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December, Sharaa announced the dissolution of all armed groups, to be absorbed by state institutions.Abdi explained that “the SDF will be restructured through its integration into the defence ministry”, as part of several formations.However, some disagreements remain.”We demand a decentralised system in Syria… we have not agreed on it,” he added, as they are “still discussing finding a common formula acceptable to all”.He stressed that they “agree on the territorial integrity of Syria, the unity of national symbols, the independence of political decision-making in the country, and the fight against terrorism”.”We all agree that Syria should not return to the era of war, and that there should be stability and security. I believe these factors are sufficient for us to reach a permanent agreement.”During the last meeting with Sharaa, Abdi said he had called for “modifying or adding some clauses to the existing constitutional declaration” announced in March, particularly those related to “guaranteeing the rights of the Kurdish people in the constitution”. “There was a positive response to this matter, and we hope this will happen soon,” he added.Abdi also expressed his gratitude to the United States and France for facilitating negotiations with Damascus.Asked about Damascus’s main backer Turkey, which has always been hostile to the SDF, Abdi said “any success of the negotiations will certainly depend on Turkey’s role”, expressing hope that it will play a “supportive and contributing role in the ongoing negotiation process”.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the SDF on Wednesday to “keep their word” and “complete their integration with Syria”.When questioned on the region’s fossil fuel reserves, Abdi noted they “have not yet discussed the oil issue, but it will certainly be addressed in upcoming meetings”.”Oil and other underground resources in northeastern Syria to belong to all Syrians, and their revenues and revenues must be distributed fairly across all Syrian provinces”.