Israeli Hostages Freed by Hamas After 738 Days in Captivity in Gaza Strip

A ceasefire in Gaza: Follow live the exchanges of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas. Following Israel’s attack in Qatar: Arab countries use their ties with the US to pressure Trump over Netanyahu. The first group of seven hostages was handed over by Hamas. Israeli sources confirmed that the freed individuals were Eitan Mor, the twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Guy Guilboa-Dalal, Alon Ohel, and Omri Meiran. Red Cross vehicles are at delivery points in the center and south of the Gaza Strip, where another 13 hostages are expected to be turned over later on Monday. A new delivery is expected to take place at 8 a.m. (4 a.m. Brasília time). The hostages will be taken to a military base in Re’im, southern Israel, for health checks. They are also expected to meet with their closest family members on site. Three hospitals in the Tel Aviv region are on standby to receive the survivors, who have endured adverse conditions over two years—it is believed they spent most of that time in tunnels. The initial assessment by the Red Cross indicated that all of them are in “reasonable” condition. “It’s surreal to be here as the first group of hostages is released. It’s a moment like the moon landing, where time freezes as we witness this historic moment,” wrote US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, minutes after the confirmation of the release. The handover of the hostages fulfills the initial stage of the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. The Jewish State committed to releasing, in return, 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 detainees in the enclave during the conflict. Preparations for the release were already being made at Ofer Prison before the hostages’ return. The release of the prisoners is expected to take place after the hostages’ return. The expectation for the end of the prolonged captivity of the Hamas hostages brought together a crowd at Ransom Square in Tel Aviv, which became a meeting point for the families and friends of the abducted individuals, as well as a site for protests and political demonstrations that over the years pressured the government and kept the release issue a top priority for Israeli society. The group “Bring Them Home Now,” one of the leading civil society organizations advocating for the cause of the October 7 hostages, shared images of the mobilization in Tel Aviv throughout the early morning hours until morning. A screen was set up in the square to broadcast real-time information about the release of the hostages. Throughout the night, supporters held a vigil and celebrated after the news of the first released hostages. The delivery of the remains of deceased hostages is not expected to be entirely completed today, as Hamas has already stated that they do not know the whereabouts of all 28 individuals. Hamas senior official Hussam Badran told the Qatari newspaper al-Araby al-Jadeed that part of the deceased will be returned on Monday evening. The first phase of the agreement requires Israel to withdraw its troops to an agreed line in Gaza. According to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, this occurred on Friday. The Israeli army stated on Friday that its forces “began repositioning along updated mobilization lines.” Additionally, as stipulated in the first phase, the delivery of food and supplies to Gaza will be intensified. An Israeli military officer stated that from Sunday on, approximately 600 aid trucks per day—operated by the United Nations, approved international organizations, the private sector, and donating countries—will be allowed to enter Gaza with food, medical equipment, shelter supplies, essential fuel, and cooking gas. The UN’s leading humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, stated on Thursday that the United Nations has a plan to increase aid deliveries immediately. Fletcher noted that the United Nations intends to send hundreds of trucks to Gaza every day and support bakeries, community kitchens, fishermen, and shepherds. High-energy, nutrient-rich food supplies will be provided to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children, and teenagers. On Sunday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the “humanitarian expansion in Gaza is well underway” and mentioned “significant progress.” The agency reported that cooking gas, tents for displaced families, frozen meat, fresh fruits, and medications reached the enclave “throughout the day” and that hundreds of thousands of hot meals and “bread packages” were distributed in the southern and northern regions of the territory. Israeli restrictions on the entry of food and other goods into the enclave have led to extreme hunger in Gaza, prompting international monitors to declare famine in parts of the territory. Israel has contested the findings and methodology behind the conclusions. End of the war? US President Donald Trump, a central figure in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas that led to the current agreement, embarked on a trip to the Middle East on Sunday for a brief visit to Israel, followed by Egypt for a summit of world leaders, expected to declare the end of the war. Trump, upon departing, stated that the conflict was over. ‘The war is over,’ Trump said upon departing late yesterday at Andrews Air Force Base. ‘It’s going to be a very special moment.’ Despite the US president’s statement, the issue is still controversial. Some points of the agreement remain unresolved, especially regarding the future of Hamas in the enclave’s political participation and the disarmament of the group—something that leaders say will not happen. In a brief statement on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the conflict had not yet been resolved.