All 20 surviving hostages arrive in Israel; Trump to address Knesset

TEL AVIV: Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli hostages to the Red Cross on Monday in two separate groups, as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal.

News agencies quoting Israel’s public broadcaster reported Hamas had handed over all 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives, with a second group of 13 hostages transferred in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Hamas on Monday published a list of 20 names, and shortly afterwards handed over the first seven hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza City.

Earlier, President Donald Trump arrived in Israel to celebrate the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, an agreement that he declares has effectively ended the war and opened the door to building a durable peace in the Middle East.

The moment remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas still in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the plan, which includes the release of Israeli hostages that have been held since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants.

With families overjoyed at the impending reunions and Palestinians eager for a surge of humanitarian assistance, Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the region and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“The war is over, OK?” Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.

“I think people are tired of it,” he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

Seven hostages arrive in Israel 

Hamas released seven of the 20 Israeli hostages into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday morning, the first group to be released as part of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. There was no immediate information on their condition.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday it had begun “a multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in the key exchange of the breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war. 

Israelis on Monday prepared to welcome home the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the return of the dead.

All 1,966 Palestinian detainees slated for release on Monday have boarded buses at Israeli prisons, an official involved in the operation told Reuters.

Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. US President Donald Trump was arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the US-proposed deal and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

Living hostages expected first 

Hamas released a list early Monday morning of the 20 living hostages it will free as part of the ceasefire, and a list of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said will be released by Israeli authorities.

The International Committee of the Red Cross was moving toward a site to collect several hostages held by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said. The Israeli army said others would be released later.

Major Israeli TV stations were airing special overnight broadcasts ahead of the hostages' release as anticipation grew. People began to gather near a large screen in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before dawn.

“It’s very exciting,” said Meir Kaller, who spent a sleepless night there.

The hostages' return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity, and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.

As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.

With the hostages’ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.

Israel expects the living hostages to be released together on Monday. They will be handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Israeli military, which will take them to the Reim military base to be reunited with families.

It is unlikely that the remains of up to 28 other hostages will be returned at the same time. An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

The timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

While Israel considers the prisoners to be terrorists, Palestinians view them as freedom fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after people are released, according to a prisoner’s family and a Palestinian official familiar with the plans. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.

Red Cross vehicles were seen driving in both Gaza and Israel early Monday.

Trump in Israel, Egypt 

Trump was first visiting Israel, where a White House schedule said he would meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.

“The war is over,” Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold.

Trump will continue to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” on Monday with regional and international leaders.

Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected any role in postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the US plan leaves the possibility open if the Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Other key questions in the ceasefire deal remain unresolved, including the future governance of Gaza and the funding for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to ensure that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned that Israel could do it “the hard way.” Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

The Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis, and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along Gaza’s border with Israel.

Under the US plan, an international body will govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said that Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 US troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.