Israel-Hamas Ceasefire LIVE | Israel Says It Has Released More Than 1,900 Palestinian Prisoners; Trump Lands In Sharm El-Sheikh

US President Donald Trump landed in Egypt aboard Air Force One on Monday to co-chair a summit on Gaza.

The leader arrived in the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh where over two dozen heads of state, government and international organisations are expecting him, following a lightning visit to Israel.

The Israeli army said Monday that the Red Cross was on its way to collect the remains of several dead hostages held by Palestinian militant groups in Gaza. "According to information received, the Red Cross is on its way to the meeting point in the southern Gaza Strip, where several coffins of deceased hostages will be transferred into their custody," the army said in a joint statement with the Shin Bet security agency.

The armed wing of Hamas had said earlier that it would only hand over four bodies out of the 28 that are held in Gaza on Monday.

Israeli officials stated that the country released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, Hamas stated that it will release the bodies of four of the 28 deceased Israeli captives later on Monday.

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on X wrote: "We welcome the release of all hostages after over two years of captivity. Their freedom stands as a tribute to the courage of their families, the unwavering peace efforts of President Trump and the strong resolve of Prime Minister Netanyahu. We support President Trump’s sincere efforts to bring peace to the region."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday urged Donald Trump to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine, after the US president brokered a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"We also hope that the American president will now use the influence he has exerted on the parties involved in the (Middle East) to work with us on the Russian government," Merz said in Egypt, where he was to attend a summit of world leaders including Trump.

US President Donald Trump on Monday called an agreement that brought about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages held by Hamas a triumph as he thanked mediators from the Arab and Muslim world.

"Let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas to set the hostages free and to send them home," Trump said in remarks before the Israeli parliament

"We had a lot of help, we had a lot of help from a lot of people that you wouldn't suspect, and I want to thank them very much for that. It's an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace."

Israel has rejected any role in Gaza for the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, whose leader, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh early on Monday afternoon ahead of the gathering.

An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages from Gaza said it had learned Hamas would hand over only four bodies of deceased captives on Monday, calling it a "breach of agreement".

"The hostage families were shocked and dismayed to learn that only four bodies of deceased hostages will be returned today, out of 28 held by Hamas," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

"This represents a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas. We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice."

In an X post, Secretary General of the UN António Guterres wrote: "I very much welcome the release of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. I am profoundly relieved that they have regained their freedom & will soon be reunited with their loved ones after the immense suffering they have endured. I reiterate my call for the release of the remains of the deceased hostages. I urge all parties to build on this momentum & to honor their commitments under the ceasefire to end the nightmare in Gaza."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described US President Donald Trump on Monday as the "greatest friend" Israel has ever had in the White House.

"Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House. No American president has ever done more for Israel," Netanyahu said in parliament ahead of Trump's address to lawmakers.

Netanyahu, in his speech to parliament, also praised Israel's soldiers, saying the country had "achieved amazing victories over Hamas".

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday's Gaza summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh because it coincides with a Jewish holiday, his office said.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Donald Trump to attend a conference in Egypt today," his office said in a statement.

"The prime minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said he would be unable to attend due to the timing coinciding with the start of the holiday" of Simhat Torah, which begins Monday evening and continues until sunset Tuesday.

Earlier, Egypt's presidency said Netanyahu had been invited to attend following a call between US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Israeli premier.

Several buses left Israel's Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank on Monday with the release of Palestinian prisoners expected under a ceasefire agreement following Hamas's release of 20 surviving Israeli hostages.

Israel's prison authority had said over the weekend that it was preparing prisoners who were due for release from two prisons, including Ofer, as part of the agreement. (AFP)

Hamas militants were seen in the streets of Gaza amid a hostage-prisoner exchange today. Red Cross vehicles were also seen driving in Gaza City. A convoy escorted by Israeli forces arrived in southern Israel after the first hostages were released earlier by Hamas as part of the Israel-Hamas hostage-prisoner exchange. The hostages had been held by Hamas for two years, during which a war broke out between the two sides.

Hamas militants drove in the streets of Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis ahead of the expected Israel and Hamas hostage-prisoner exchange as part of the first phase of a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.

The ceasefire and release of hostages is the first step in the proposed Gaza 'peace plan'. Competing demands remain on the next steps, casting uncertainty on whether the conflict is indeed over. Israel wants Hamas to disarm, and Hamas wants Israel to pull its troops out of all of Gaza. The future of Gaza’s government, which has been in Hamas’ hands for two decades, also remains to be worked out.

Gaza's Health Ministry says around half the 67,600 people killed by Israel during the last two years were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The European Union will Wednesday restart a civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in support of a ceasefire deal, the bloc's top diplomat said Monday.

"The EU stands ready to do its part," Kaja Kallas posted on X after Hamas released a first group of Israeli hostages as part of the US-brokered agreement. "This mission can play an important role in supporting the ceasefire," she said.

Hamas handed over all 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza on Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster reported. The group was released in two batches, with a second group of 13 hostages transferred in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the broadcaster said. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump landed in Israel aboard Air Force One on Monday as a first group of Israeli hostages returned home from Gaza after two years' captivity. The US leader was greeted on a red carpet at Ben Gurion airport by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. (AFP)

The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, welcomed on Monday the release of seven Israeli hostages by Hamas, highlighting US President Donald Trump's role in this "crucial milestone towards peace". "President Trump made this breakthrough possible," she wrote on X.

The initial stage of the ceasefire deal includes the release of 47 Israeli living and dead hostages taken on October 7, 2023 in exchange for 250 prisoners and 1700 Gazans held by Israel since the war broke out. Hamas is also expected to hand over the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza war.

Hamas' armed wing on Monday published a list of 20 names, and shortly afterwards militants handed over the first seven hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza City.

The handover sparked cheers of joy in Tel Aviv where a huge crowd gathered to support hostage families.

Israel expects all 20 living hostages to be released to the Red Cross "early Monday morning", according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, ahead of a midday (0900 GMT) deadline under the terms of the ceasefire agreement proposed by Trump.

Netanyahu's spokesperson said the prisoners would be "released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel".

Israel does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday. (AFP)

Israel has confirmed that it was set to receive the seven hostages released by Hamas to the Red Cross on Monday. "According to information received by the Red Cross, seven hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in Gaza. The IDF is prepared to receive additional hostages who are expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later on," the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.

Egypt will award US President Donald Trump the country’s highest civilian honour, the office of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said. Trump will be given The Order of the Nile for his efforts to stop the war in Gaza, according to a statement from the Egyptian leader’s office.

The award will recognise Trump’s “distinguished contributions to supporting peace efforts, defusing conflicts, and most recently, his pivotal role in ending the war in Gaza,” it added. Earlier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said he would award Trump Israel’s highest civilian honour, the “Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor,” for his efforts to bring the hostages home.

Hamas released seven hostages into the custody of the Red Cross on Monday, the first to be released as part of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. There was no immediate information on their condition.

Hamas has said 20 living hostages will be exchanged for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Families and friends of hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis are watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv.

The packed crowd in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv erupted in cheers as the names of the hostages to be released were read on local television. They clapped and chanted “Bring them home now!” Some held Israeli flags with a yellow hostage ribbon on it. Others held posters with the faces of the hostages. Some clutched their chests and choked back tears. (AP)

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has begun “a multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of hostages and prisoners as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Red Cross said it will receive hostages held in the Gaza Strip to transfer them to Israeli authorities, while also overseeing the release of prisoners to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Red Cross “will also facilitate the transfer of remains of the deceased so that families can bury their loved ones with dignity,” it added. (AP)

The International Committee of the Red Cross was moving on Monday toward a site to collect several hostages held by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said. The Israeli military said others would be released later. It comes as Hamas released a list of 20 living hostages it said would be released and of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said Israel would release.

Hamas on Monday published a list of over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said will be released in Israel-Hamas war ceasefire, the Associated Press reported. The release comes after the militant group offered a list of the 20 living hostages it would release as part of the deal. The International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to oversee the releases.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh arrived in Egypt late Sunday, where he is set to represent Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a 'peace summit' in Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

PM Modi was invited to the summit that is expected to be attended by US President Donald Trump and nearly 20 other world leaders. New Delhi has deputed Singh to attend it as a special representative of the prime minister. Read More...

The Gaza peace deal hinges on both sides adhering to an agreement to exchange hostages seized from Israel in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

The initial stage of the ceasefire deal includes the release of 47 Israeli hostages -- living and dead -- in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans held by Israel since the war broke out.

Hamas is also expected to hand over the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza war. Israel expects all 20 living hostages to be released to the Red Cross "early Monday morning", according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, ahead of a midday (0900 GMT or 2.30 pm India time) deadline under the terms of the ceasefire agreement proposed by Trump.

Netanyahu's spokesperson said the Palestinian prisoners would be "released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel". Israel does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said he will award U.S. President Donald Trump Israel’s highest civilian honor, the “Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor,” for his efforts to bring the hostages home.

The award also recognizes Trump’s “unique contribution to Israel’s security and the well-being of its citizens, and his commitment to leading the entire region toward an era of peace and cooperation.” Herzog will inform Trump on Monday and present the medal in the coming months “at a time and place to be determined.”

Hamas’s armed wing on Monday published a list of 20 surviving hostages held in Gaza who are expected to be freed as part of a deal reached with Israel.

The hostages named by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades on its Telegram channel are among 48 captives -- both living and deceased -- held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

The list of names comes as hostages and Palestinian prisoners were expected to be released Monday as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to Israel and Egypt to mark the ceasefire. The International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to oversee the releases, which will include nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Trump was first visiting Israel, where a White House schedule said he will meet with families of the hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was likely to meet with newly freed hostages.

“The war is over,” Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold. Trump will continue to Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” Monday with regional and international leaders.

Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, will attend, a judge and adviser to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected any role in postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the U.S. plan leaves the possibility open if his Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Other key questions in the ceasefire deal have yet to be resolved, including the future governance of Gaza and who will pay for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to ensure that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned Israel could do it “the hard way.” Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

The Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north and the wide strip along Gaza’s border with Israel.

Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu. (AP)