All living hostages held by Palestinian militant group Hamas have been released from Gaza and handed over to authorities after 738 days in captivity, Israel’s military said on Monday. The military made the announcement after the final group of 13 crossed the border.
Their return was a key part of the Israel-Hamas war ceasefire now being marked by a visit to Israel and Egypt by US President Donald Trump. Under the 20-point Gaza peace deal, Hamas released 20 hostages held since militants attacked Israeli in October 2023, in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners.
The 20 hostages were released in two phases — first seven and then the remaining 13 together. They were all handed over to the International Red Cross.
These 13 individuals will be transferred to a military base in southern Israel to be reunited with their families. They will then be taken by helicopter to Israeli hospitals, according to the Associated Press.
Videos circulated on social media showed large crowds cheering as a convoy of freed hostages passed by.
Meanwhile, Trump arrived at the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, where he signed the guestbook ahead of his address. The president was flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
The US leader will address the parliament and also receive Israel's highest civilian honour for his role in bringing the ceasefire.
He will then travel to Egypt for a peace summit with world leaders. Both Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are attending the summit in the Red Sea resort, Cairo said.
The Gaza ceasefire comes after two years of war in the tiny Palestinian enclave, triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people. More than 250 others were taken hostage. The Israeli offensive in the Palestinian enclave have claimed over 66,000 lives, as per media reports.
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