‘The war is over’, says Trump as Hamas Frees all living Hostages
All surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been released under a ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, bringing an apparent end to the two-year conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group. According to the Israeli military, the final batch of 20 hostages was handed over to the International Committee of the […]
All surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been released under a ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, bringing an apparent end to the two-year conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
According to the Israeli military, the final batch of 20 hostages was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday before being transferred to Israeli forces in Gaza.
Hamas initially handed over seven hostages to the Red Cross, who were driven to Israeli security forces to be taken into Israel.
It later handed over 13 more hostages. They will be reunited with their families before being flown by helicopter to hospitals.
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The release triggered emotional scenes in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where families and supporters who had gathered for months broke into tears and applause as news of the final releases spread.
Hamas’s move follows the October 9 ceasefire agreement that set out a phased plan: the release of all hostages, a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and a broader roadmap for peace.
The agreed ceasefire started at midday local time (10am UK time) on Friday, with tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians moving back towards northern Gaza, which was mostly destroyed by Israel.
The accord also includes Israel’s commitment to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the exchange.
President Trump, who personally oversaw the negotiations, landed in Israel on Monday to mark what he described as “a very special day for peace.”
He was received in Tel Aviv by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before heading for Jerusalem for meetings with families of freed hostages.
“I think it’s going to hold. People are tired of it — it’s been centuries,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “The war is over. Okay? You understand that?”
In Gaza, the ceasefire brought a rare moment of quiet after years of devastating airstrikes.
“I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling,” said Fatima Salem, a 38-year-old Gaza resident. “My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost. Even the neighbours’ houses were gone. Despite the fear, I felt like I was coming back home.”
The humanitarian toll of the conflict has been immense.
Gaza’s health ministry estimates that more than 67,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023 — figures the United Nations has described as credible.
Under the U.S.-brokered roadmap, Israeli forces are expected to pull back to designated areas within Gaza, while a multinational peacekeeping mission, coordinated by a U.S.-led command centre, will oversee security and aid distribution.
Trump is scheduled to travel next to Cairo, where he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of over 20 world leaders to ratify the ceasefire and outline the next phase of the peace plan.
President Emmanuel Macron is already in Egypt for the summit.
Addressing the press, Macron said France will play a “special role” alongside the Palestinian Authority in governing Gaza.
“On governance issues, we will play a particularly important role,” Macron said from the tarmac in Sharm el-Sheikh. “Ensuring it (the PA) undertakes the necessary reforms for the future.”
“France is ready and has already begun planning work,” he added. “France will have a role in achieving lasting peace in Gaza.”