HAMAS has released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday as part of a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Reuters reports that the Israeli military announced that it had received all hostages confirmed to be alive after their handover from Gaza by the Red Cross on Monday, a major step toward ending two years of devastating conflict in Gaza, as President Donald Trump hailed the development as “a historic dawn of a new Middle East”.
Reports revealed that the release of the hostages sparked scenes of joy, embraces, and tears among thousands gathered at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv.
The bodies of some of the 26 confirmed dead hostages, along with two others whose fate remains uncertain, are also set to be released on Monday.
Hamas militants have killed 32 members of what they described as a “gang” in Gaza City during a security operation launched after Israeli forces withdrew under the ceasefire, a Palestinian security source said on Monday.
Hamas prisoners’ media office confirmed that dozens of buses transporting some of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees being released from Israeli prisons under the agreement have also arrived in Gaza.
Most of those released had been detained by Israeli forces during the Gaza war, but the group also included 250 prisoners convicted of deadly attacks or held on suspicion of security-related offences.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said the remaining 13 living hostages released by Hamas had crossed the border into Israel.
The exchange of hostages and Palestinian detainees represents a key component of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement reached last week in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Monday’s summit is expected to take place.
The Trump administration brokered the deal in collaboration with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with the next phase set to establish an international body, the “Board of Peace,” to be chaired by Trump.
More than 20 world leaders are expected to discuss the next steps under Trump’s 20-point peace plan, designed to secure lasting stability after two years of conflict that began with Hamas’s cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
According to health officials in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes, bombardments, and ground assaults have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, leaving widespread destruction across the enclave and triggering a severe humanitarian crisis.
The group’s public appearance on Monday, with its fighters assembling at Nasser Hospital, highlighted the likely challenge of easing Israeli fears over Hamas’s continued grip on Gaza, where it has been in power since 2007.
Speaking before entering the Israeli parliament, Trump said the Palestinian militant group Hamas would abide by a clause in his plan requiring it to disarm.
Trump is set to become only the fourth US president to address the Knesset, following in the footsteps of Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bill Clinton in 1994, and George W. Bush in 2008.
The ICIR reported that the two years of war have turned Gaza into a vast expanse of rubble, leaving nearly all of its 2.2 million residents homeless and reshaping the Middle East, fueling related clashes between Israel and Iran, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis rebels.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while addressing the parliament, said Israel has paid a high price for the war, noting, “But our enemies now understand just how powerful and just how determined Israel is.”
He said he had promised to bring all the hostages home and had done so.
The Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana lauded Trump, echoing several of his familiar expressions and pledging that Israel would nominate the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize he has long pursued but did not win last week.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
This article captures a pivotal moment in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict—the safe return of all surviving Israeli hostages. The detailed account of their release, facilitated by the Red Cross and the Israel Defense Forces, underscores the tireless efforts of humanitarian organizations and the resilience of the hostages and their families. The scenes of joy and relief in Tel Aviv serve as a poignant reminder of the enduring hope for peace and the profound impact of international diplomacy in conflict resolution.