Trump to speak in Israel as last living hostages released by Hamas come back home

The first Palestinian prisoners released as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Hamas and Israel arrived Monday in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 

Live video showed prisoners disembarking from buses and being greeted by large cheering crowds of people in Ramallah, the de-facto capital of the West Bank. 

About 2,000 Palestinian prisoner were to be released by Israel in total.

The Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Amir Ohana, hailed President Trump as “the best friend that the state of Israel has ever had,” as he thanked Mr. Trump in Israel’s parliament Monday.

“I am going to take off this pin, this memorial pin for the hostages, because thanks to you, they are home,” Ohana said, before removing a pin from his suit.  

“Mr. President, you stand before the people of Israel not as another American president but as a giant of Jewish history,” Ohana said. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be traveling to Egypt for the peace summit in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the peace deal between Israel and Hamas is expected to be signed later Monday.

Netanyahu had been invited to the conference by President Trump, his office said Monday, and “The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation, but said that he would not be able to participate due to the proximity of the holiday.” 

The holiday the prime minister’s office appears to be referencing is Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Torah, which is marked on Oct. 14 and 15 this year. 

President Trump was greeted by loud cheering and applause Monday as he arrived at the Israeli Knesset to address the assembled lawmakers.

Mr. Trump, seated at the podium beside Knesset speaker Amir Ohana and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, stood for the applause for himself and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  

President Trump is expected to address the Israeli Knesset, the country’s parliament, during his brief visit to mark the first phase of the Israeli-Hamas peace deal that his administration helped to broker. 

You will be able to watch the president’s remarks live on CBS News 24/7 in the player at the top of this page. He is expected to begin speaking very soon.

Mr. Trump’s remarks to the Israeli lawmakers will come not long after the Israeli military confirmed the handover of the final 13 living hostages who had been held in Gaza. All living hostages have now been freed and they are back in Israel, according to the military.  

The president is believed to have met privately with the families of Israeli hostages before delivering his remarks to the Knesset. He will leave later for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where he will participate in a Middle East peace ceremony.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend a Middle East peace summit along with President Trump on Monday, the office of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a statement.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will participate in the peace summit to consolidate the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and reaffirm commitment to it,” said the statement posted on the Egyptian presidency’s Facebook page. 

The president’s office also confirmed that Palestinian Authority President Mahmmoud Abbas would attend the conference, where the peace plan brokered by President Trump is expected to be formally signed.

It was not clear whether Mr. Trump and Netanyahu would travel from Israel to the summit in the Egyptian resort together or separately.

By Ahmed Shawkat and Emmet Lyons 

The last 13 Israelis who were abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack have been returned to Israel after being freed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military said Monday. 

The Israeli military confirmed in a social media post that Matan Tsengauker, Maxim Harkin, Segev Kalfon, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Nimrod Cohen, Avinantan Or, Eviatar David, Eitan Horn, David Kunio, Ariel Kunio, Elkana Buchbot, Bar Kuperstein and Rom Breslavsky were with Israeli forces and had “recently crossed the border into Israeli territory.”

President Trump signed the guest book at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, ahead of a planned address to the assembled lawmakers on Monday. 

The White House posted a photo on social media of Mr. Trump holding up the guest book, showing his signature, flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Amir Ohana, the Speaker of the Knesset. 

“This is my great honor – A great and beautiful day. A new beginning,” Mr. Trump wrote in the Knesset guest book.

Israel’s military confirmed Monday that the last 13 living hostages in Gaza were with Israeli troops and “making their way to Israeli territory.” 

The hostages had been handed over earlier to the Israel Defense Forces by Red Cross personnel, after being released by Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

The remains of some of the 48 deceased Israeli hostages still in Gaza are expected to be transferred to Israeli officials later Monday.  

The last 13 living Israeli hostages in Gaza have been handed over to Red Cross personnel, the Israeli military said Monday, adding that the group was “making their way to the IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Gaza Strip.”

President Trump’s senior envoy Steve Witkoff said Monday that he had “wondered if I would ever see this day,” calling it “deeply gratifying to know that so many families will finally have their loved ones home.”

“Today, twenty families are spared the unbearable pain of not knowing if they will ever see their loved ones again. But even in this moment of relief and happiness, my heart aches for those whose loved ones will not return alive,” Witkoff said in a social media post. “Bringing their bodies home is a must and an act of dignity and honors their memory forever.”

Witkoff added that he was “profoundly grateful for the indomitable spirit of President Trump. This day would not have been possible without him.”

The Israeli military released a number of photos on Monday showing some of the first seven hostages released by Hamas speaking with members of the military and reunited with their families back in Israeli territory.

One of the first photos showed former hostage Eitan Mor beaming in an embrace with his parents. Mor was among the Israelis abducted from the Nova music festival in southern Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack. He was working security at the festival.

Other photos showed Mor speaking with Israeli forces before being reunited with his family.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has decided to award the “Order of the Nile” to President Trump, “in recognition of his notable contributions to supporting peace efforts, defusing conflicts, and most recently, his pivotal role in halting the war in Gaza,” the El-Sisi’s office said in a statement on Monday.

Mr. Trump was due to arrive in Cairo later in the day, after addressing Israeli lawmakers and meeting with the families of Israeli hostages.

The Order of the Nile is Egypt’s highest state honor. It was first established in 1915 and is currently awarded in two forms, a Collar, which is bestowed upon heads of state and will be given to President Trump, and the Grand Cordon, which is for other recipients.

By Ahmed Shawkat and Tucker Reals

President Trump has arrived in Israel. He was greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the tarmac of Ben Gurion International Airport before making his way down a long red carpet to greet others, including his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and Mr. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff who, along with Kushner, helped negotiate the peace deal. 

The Israeli military said Red Cross vehicles were on their way Monday to a second meeting point, this one in southern Gaza, “where several hostages will be handed over to the Red Cross.”

The first group of seven Israel hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in northern Gaza before being transferred to Israeli military personnel and then driven back into Israeli territory. 

People in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheered Monday as a massive television screen showed Air Force One landing in the country.

Someone shouted over the loud speaker in the square: “Thank you, President Trump!”

Air Force One touched down Monday at Ben Gurion Airport, not far from Jerusalem, as President Trump arrived for a visit to mark the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas and to deliver remarks to the country’s assembled lawmakers in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

President Trump, who is expected to arrive momentarily in Israel, claimed decisively on Sunday that the war in Gaza is over.

“The war is over,”  he told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Tel Aviv. “The war is over, okay? Do you understand that?”

When asked if he thinks the ceasefire will hold, he said, “I think so. I think it’s going to hold.” 

“I think people are, a lot of reasons why it’s going to hold, but I think people are tired of it,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump said “over the years,” Gaza will look “very good,” but provided no other details.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a social media post that the first seven hostages released by Hamas “have now crossed the border into Israeli territory with IDF and Shin Bet forces.”  

They were on their way to an “initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will reunite with their families,” the military said in a statement.

President Trump boarded Air Force One on Sunday afternoon to head to the Middle East.

In a brief remark to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the president said, “So this is going to be a very special time.” 

“In Israel and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering,” Mr. Trump said. He did not take any questions.

He’s set to arrive in Tel Aviv early Monday along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe and other administration officials.

Mr. Trump is expected to meet with families of Israeli hostages before delivering a speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem. He then will travel to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the international peace summit.

— Kathryn Watson, Kiki Intarasuwan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed in a statement on Monday the identities of the first seven living hostages released by Hamas under the peace plan brokered by President Trump.

The statement said the families of Ohel Alon, Angrest Matan, Berman Gali, Berman Ziv, Gilboa-Dalal Guy, Mor Eitan and Miran Omri “have been informed by the authorized authorities that they have joined our forces in the Gaza Strip and will soon make their way to Israeli territory.”

The Israeli military has confirmed that the first group of seven living hostages has been transferred from the Red Cross to Israeli personnel inside Gaza, and they “are now making their way to Israeli territory.”

The seven were to undergo immediate medical checks upon reaching Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces said in a social media post.

“The commanders and soldiers of the IDF salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,” the IDF said.

“According to information received from the Red Cross now, seven abductees have been transferred to them, and they are making their way to the IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Gaza Strip,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a social media post on Monday, indicating the first step was complete for the initial group of hostages to be transferred out of Hamas custody. 

“The IDF is prepared to absorb additional abductees who will be transferred to the Red Cross later,” the IDF said.

Israel’s military said early Monday that Red Cross vehicles were headed to a meeting point in northern Gaza to meet “a number of hostages”  set to be handed over by Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a social media post that it was “prepared to absorb additional hostages who will be transferred to the Red Cross later.”

It is expected that the remaining hostages — 20 of the total 48 of whom are believed to be alive — will be handed over in at least two separate groups.

Dozens, if not hundreds of Israelis were gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square ahead of the expected return of the remaining hostages on Monday morning.

Waving Israeli flags and singing, the crowd gathered before dawn and continued to grow throughout the morning. As the sun was rising, many sang together and waved Israeli flags.

The release of the hostages still being held in Gaza is expected to begin around 8 a.m. local time, 1 a.m. ET, according to a source familiar with the matter. A second round of hostages is then set to be released around 10 a.m. local time, 3 a.m. ET, the source said. 

The two sets of hostages are being released from different locations within Gaza, the source said.

Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, which is located in Ramat Gan, outside of Tel Aviv, and is expected to receive hostages after they are released, noted that they may not arrive there until mid- to late morning at the earliest.

— Michal Ben-Gal, Jordan Freiman

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Sunday that Egypt is “confident that the first phase of the Trump peace plan will be implemented” and will be honored by all parties involved. 

“We are very hopeful that the first phase will be completed, in all honesty, from the two parties, and we are in full contact with the Palestinians, with the Hamas,” Abdelatty told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” 

Abdelatty confirmed that Egypt will be sending troops to Gaza “within specific parameters.” He also said that Egypt supports the deployment of international troops into Gaza for security and stabilization.

“We are confident, though we have to draw lessons from the past, that without solving the Palestinian cause, which is the core of the conflict in the region, without respecting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to have their own statehood, you know, there is no peace and stability in the region,” Abdelatty said. 

Abdelatty indicated that President Trump’s peace plan referred to Palestinian statehood, although the final version of the plan is unclear on Palestinian statehood. 

Watch Margaret Brennan’s full interview with Abdelatty here. 

Alana Zeitchik, a relative of Israeli hostage David Cunio, said she is “nervous” about the condition he will be in when he is freed from captivity.

Cunio’s wife, Sharon Aloni Cunio, and his twin daughters were held captive by Hamas and released in November 2023.

Zeitchik said Cunio’s wife received guidance on how to tell her daughters that their father is coming home and that they were “in shock” after hearing the news.

Zeitchik told The Associated Press: “We won’t really be able to exhale and have a sigh of relief until he is back on Israeli soil.”

Tens of thousands of Palestinians began their trek back to the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip over the weekend after the ceasefire deal went into effect.

A steady stream of people, many on foot, crammed onto a coastal road in the central Gaza Strip, heading north to see what might remain of their homes. It was a repeat of emotional scenes from an earlier ceasefire in January.

Palestinians expressed relief that the war may end, though they are tempered with concerns about the future and lingering pain from the staggering death and destruction.

“There wasn’t much joy, but the ceasefire somewhat eased the pain of death and bloodshed, and the pain of our loved ones and brothers who suffered in the war,” Jamal Mesbah, who was displaced from the north, told the AP.

The destruction they find this time will be even greater, after Israel waged a new offensive in Gaza City, in the north, in recent weeks.

—CBS/AP