After 738 days in captivity, all hostages within Hamas were released on Monday, a major turn of events that could mark the two-year devastating war that left Gaza in tatters. The first batch of seven hostages arrived earlier on Monday, while the 13 arrived later.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office informed that all hostages were with the IDF forces in the Strip and will soon head to Israel.
The occasion was marked by the arrival of US President Donald Trump in Israel. Trump was given a hero’s welcome as he arrived to address the Israeli Parliament. "This is a great day. This is a new beginning," Trump said, adding that the war in Gaza was over.
Trump is also likely to visit the hostages who are the Sheba Medical Center, according to Israeli media. “If it happens, it will likely be at the Sheba Medical Center,” The Times of Israel reported.
As part of the deal, Israel has also started releasing Palestinian prisoners. Videos from Israel showed buses carrying Palestinian prisoners who have been released from Israeli prisons moving out of Ofer Prison in the West Bank.
Israel will deport 154 released Palestinian detainees outside Israel and the Palestinian territories, an official involved in the operation told Reuters
on Monday. Israel also made last-minute changes to its list of Palestinian prisoners, replacing two prisoners and swapping about 120 Gazans who were detained after October 7 with others who will be freed in their place.