Donald Trump is en route to Israel and Egypt to oversee the critical hours of a Gaza ceasefire he helped broker, as relatives of hostages “held their breath” ahead of their expected release.
For the first time, Hamas militants have agreed to release all 48 remaining hostages – 20 alive, 26 confirmed dead, and two whose lives were in “serious danger” with an unknown status. The deadline for Hamas to return the captives who have been held for two years expires at midday on Monday (0900 GMT).
Shortly afterwards, 1,700 Palestinians detained from Gaza since October 2023 and 250 more serving life sentences will be released from Israeli detention. The bodies of 360 Palestinians Israel is holding will also be returned.
Leaving to fly to Israel ahead of the planned releases, Mr Trump told reporters his trip would be: “A very special event.”
“We're going to have an amazing time,” he added: “This is going to be a very special time. Everybody is very excited about this moment in time.”
Israeli spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Israel was “prepared and is ready” for the release, adding that the living hostages will be released in one go to Red Cross vehicles, but warned against “any sick displays by Hamas”. during the handover.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the expected return of the hostages as a “historic event”.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, he said: “Citizens of Israel, my brothers and sisters, this is an emotional evening, an evening of tears, an evening of joy. Because tomorrow, children will return to their border. This is a historic event.”
But he also warned “the campaign is not over”.
“There are still very great security challenges ahead of us,” he said: “Some of our enemies are trying to rebuild themselves to attack us again. And as we say – ‘We’re on it.’”
A lot is riding on the exchange: if it proceeds as planned, a fragile ceasefire will hold and hopefully progress to second phase of a long-term agreement. The truce so far has also allowed a limited Israeli military withdrawal and so the return of tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
On Sunday, Palestinian families continued the perilous journey north to what remains of their homes, after two years of slaughter, famine, and forced displacement. Others flocked to the additional much needed trucks of aid that have finally been permitted to enter.
Mr Trump has staked his desired reputation as a peacemaker president on this deal which he has heralded as a “momentous breakthrough” that will deliver “everlasting peace in the Middle East”. And so as the clock is ticking, he has scheduled a whirlwind visit to both Israel and Egypt to push it through after previous truces collapsed or stalled at the initial phase.
He is expected to land in Israel at 9.20am local time, where he will be welcomed by Mr Netanyahu, then address the Knesset, and meet the families of hostages. By lunchtime, he will fly to Egypt to attend a formal signing ceremony, joining British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In anticipation of his arrival, roads between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have been lined with US and Israeli flags, as well as towering posters thanking the US president .
Key details of the deal:
Hostage release:
- Twenty living hostages will be handed over on Monday morning in one coordinated release.
- They will be transported by Red Cross vehicles to Israeli-controlled territory within Gaza, then transferred to Re’im base in southern Israel for reunification with families and initial medical checks.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross will have ambulances on standby for hostages in critical condition. They will be transported to Sheba or Ichilov medical centres in Tel Aviv, or Beilinson in Petah Tikva.
- The bodies of deceased 28 hostages will be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute for identification before they will be released to family for burial.
Palestinian prisoner release:
- 250 prisoners serving life sentences will be released: 15 of them will be able to return to East Jerusalem and 100 to the West Bank, but 135 slated for deportation, according to Israeli media.
- A further 1,700 detainees from Gaza – including 22 minors under 18 – who were arrested after 7 October 2023 will also be freed.
- Israel will release the remains of 360 deceased Palestinians currently in their custody at some point during this period.
- The largest Palestinian prisoners’ association told The Independent they had not yet received full confirmation of the exact release list or location.
In “Hostage Square”, a main rallying point in Tel Aviv, tension crackled. In the final hours before the deadline, rumours circulated that Hamas might release the hostages as early as Sunday. Hamas reportedly does not know the locations of all the deceased.
Ilan Dalal, father of Guy Gilboa‑Dalal, 22 who was taken by Hamas during during the 7 October raid on the Nova music festival, said on Sunday the family felt relief and fear.
Guy appeared haggard and thin alongside fellow captive Evyatar David, in a disturbing video released by Hamas in September.
“Our nightmare is finally is coming to an end now. Tomorrow morning I'm going to hug my son for the first time after two years,” Ilan said with visible emotion.
“But I don't know what kind of son I'm going to get back. I hope that he wasn’t so harmed that we can’t easily rebuild his life. In the last video, Hamas published, we saw the despair in his eyes.”
Ilan was speaking alongside Tal Shoham, 38, a former hostage who was taken from his family home in Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October and held in underground tunnels with Guy until his release earlier this year. Mr Shoham said he was struggling to “block hope and excitement so I won’t break apart if [the deal] doesn’t happen”.
“But the days are going on, I almost sure that they will be home. I'm letting myself feel more and more from the happiness and joy of this process,” he added.
There was also anxiety in the occupied West Bank where Palestinian families said they had been given no information about if and when their loved ones would be released. Palestinian officials told The Independent that they believe that most will be freed from Israel’s Ofer prison, located in the West Bank, but they were still getting the details.
Among those slated for release are 1,700 detainees, including 22 children, arrested from Gaza since 7 October 2023. The Independent investigated Israel’s mass arrests of Palestinians since it launched its unprecedented bombardment of Gaza in 2023, revealing evidence of torture leading to deaths in detention, arbitrary detention, and sexual violence – ill treatment Israel denies.
Israel will also free 250 prisoners serving life sentences who were detained before 7 October 2023. Israeli media has reported that 115 of them will be permitted to travel to East Jerusalem and the West Bank, but 135 who were convicted of murder are “slated for deportation” with no further details given.
Among those who will be deported is Hamdallah Sarma, 50, who was arrested in 1995 and sentenced to life for “intentional homicide” according to the Israeli ministry of justice.
Noama Sarma, his mother who is in her eighties, told said they have no further information about if or when he will be released and where he will be sent to.
“I know nothing, no one called us, we heard some of them will be sent abroad, we don't know. But I am overjoyed to finally hopefully see him,’ she added.
Mr Trump has pinned a lot on this deal, and joined regional countries including Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to impose significant pressure on all sides of the conflict.
On Saturday, his top envoy Steve Witkoff, along with son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump, travelled to Israel and joined rallies in Tel Aviv. There they were met by large crowds of supporters who unfurled a giant banner reading “Nobel President Trump” and chanted “Thank you, Trump”.
Visibly emotional, both Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner pledged to see the deal through. Mr Witkoff said it proved that “miracles can happen”.
At the rally there was no love for Mr Netanyahu who has been accused by many families of deliberately scuppering previous deals, and intensifying the ground offensives on Gaza to placate extreme-right war mongering members of his razor-thin coalition.
Crowds were booing Mr Netanyahu so loudly when he was mentioned by Mr Witkoff that the US envoy begged the gathering to let him finish his sentence.
When asked about the booing, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said on Sunday that Mr Netanyahu “has gotten us to this point”.
“This is why we are here today waiting for our hostages to return home through military, through diplomatic pressure. Prime Minister Netanyahu took risks and those risks led us to this point,” she added.
Israel launched an unprecedented bombardment and siege on Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ 7 October attacks on southern Israel where, according to Israeli estimates, around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
In the two years since then, Palestinian health officials say that more than 67,000 people have been killed, including thousands of children.
Swathes of Gaza have been razed to the ground, more than 90 per cent of the 2.3 million-strong population has been forced to flee their homes multiple times, and famine has unfolded, according to the UN-backed global hunger monitor.
On Monday, the UK will host a three-day conference on Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction, as Sir Keir Starmer promised the UK will play a leading role in the “next stage” of the peace process.
As the PM travelled to Egypt for the “signing ceremony” for the Gaza peace plan on Monday, he promised a £20m humanitarian aid package to deliver essential water, sanitation, and hygiene services to tens of thousands of civilians across Gaza.
The funding, delivered through Unicef, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), will help those facing famine, malnutrition and disease, UK officials said.
Sir Keir is expected to say on Monday the UK will “support the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan, so that people on both sides can rebuild their lives in safety and security”.
Additional reporting by Rateb Qaissy
