Hamas handed over the first seven of 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday, sparking cheers of joy in Tel Aviv where a huge crowd was gathered to support hostage families.
Under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump after two years of war, Hamas is due to release all surviving hostages on Monday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The first seven living hostages were released by Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, who then handed them over to Israeli forces.
“We’ve been waiting 738 days to say this: Welcome home,” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X, identifying the released captives as Guy Gilboa Dalal, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Gali and Ziv Berman and Omri Miran.
The releases came as Trump arrived in the region for a peace summit, having declared the war “over”.
Air Force One, carrying Trump, touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday after flying over Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands were gathered, on the way to landing.
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