• Nominates 'great' Trump again for Nobel Prize for bringing 'peace' in South Asia, achieving ceasefire in Gaza 

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said achieving ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza has saved "millions of lives" in the Middle East.

Speaking at the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Sharif lauded the role of Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and other world leaders for "valuably" contributing to peace efforts.

He again nominated "great" Trump for the Nobel Prize for bringing "peace" in South Asia, and achieving the ceasefire in Gaza.

Pakistan, he said, had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his "outstanding and extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire along with his very wonderful team."

"And today again, I would like to nominate this great president for the Nobel Peace Prize because I genuinely feel he is the most genuine and the most wonderful candidate for the peace prize because he has not only brought peace in South Asia, saved millions of people, their lives, and today, here in Sharm el-Sheikh, achieved peace in Gaza and saved millions of lives in the Middle East," Sharif added.

Last week, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip. The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday.

Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, the formation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Earlier Monday, the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails began after Hamas freed all 20 living Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip.