GAZA (Web Desk) — The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has released all 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza in two phases under a ceasefire agreement, while hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have also been freed from Israeli jails and arrived in Gaza.
According to international media reports, Hamas handed over the hostages to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday. In the second phase, 13 hostages were transferred to Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Footage showed around a dozen masked and armed Hamas fighters gathered at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, where the exchange took place. Several ambulances were stationed nearby, and a brief reception area was set up for the process.
- Meanwhile, 38 buses carrying freed Palestinian detainees have reached Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, a total of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released under the agreement.
Analysts describe this ceasefire deal as a major step toward ending the two-year-long war that had escalated into a broader regional conflict involving Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon.
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Israel, said: “The war is over. I believe things will now return to normal.”
