Photo: Alamy
All remaining living hostages held by Hamas were released Monday after two years of war, as President Donald Trump arrived in Israel to celebrate and advance the peace agreement his administration brokered in a deal he says could fundamentally reshape the Middle East.
Israeli officials confirmed the safe return of 20 hostages, the last known survivors from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war. In accordance with the agreement, Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in a major exchange viewed as a key milestone of the Trump-brokered deal unveiled last week.
Trump landed in Israel to a formal welcome from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before heading directly to the Knesset, where he addressed lawmakers and met with families of the hostages.
“Mr. President, I would like to thank you that you granted the Knesset the honor that it is the first parliament you are visiting in your present term,” Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said as he greeted Trump.
The release of the hostages marks a major breakthrough in a conflict that began when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting roughly 250 more.
The peace deal, negotiated with help from Egypt and Qatar, includes a series of steps, including an immediate ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchanges, partial Israeli troop withdrawals and negotiations over Gaza’s future governance and reconstruction. President Trump’s arrival signals his intent not only to celebrate the first phase of the agreement but also to personally shepherd implementation of the next stages.
The president was scheduled to travel to Egypt later Monday to attend a conference hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and other regional leaders. The summit is expected to focus on rebuilding a post-Hamas Gaza, determining who will govern the territory and formalizing the peace framework through a signed agreement.
Trump has positioned himself as the architect of what some observers have called “the most ambitious Middle East peace plan in decades.” His administration has argued that the deal will end the war permanently, secure Israel, return hostages and offer Palestinians a path to political stability without Hamas.
Trump met privately with hostage families in Israel on Monday. Netanyahu, who has faced intense domestic pressure over his handling of the war and the hostage crisis, publicly credited Trump for the breakthrough.