Israel confirms all remaining Gaza hostages to be released on Monday
The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 250 others, has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Israel has announced that all remaining living hostages held in Gaza are expected to be released on Monday, marking the next phase of the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas last week.
The announcement came as Palestinians prepared for an increase in long-awaited humanitarian aid deliveries, and US President Donald Trump prepared to visit Israel and Egypt on Monday to support the fragile peace agreement.
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"Israel is prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages. The release of our hostages will begin early Monday morning," Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said in a televised address seen by The Eastleigh Voice.
"We are expecting all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross (ICRC) and transported among six to eight vehicles without any sick displays by Hamas."
Reunite with their families
Bedrosian added that the hostages will be taken first to Israeli-controlled areas in Gaza before being transported to a military base to reunite with their families or, if needed, directly to hospitals.
"The Prime Minister (Netanyahu) instructed Gal Hirsch, the Coordinator for the Captives and the Missing, to arrange with the ICRC to have a convoy of ambulances ready for our hostages and all equipment needed in case a hostage needs immediate medical support," she said.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel also plans to release about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and retrieve the remains of 28 hostages believed to have died in captivity.
The bodies will be sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification, while an international task force will begin efforts to locate other missing hostages.
Freed in stages
Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and around 1,700 held without charge, will be freed in stages, though no exact dates have been specified.
Meanwhile, preparations along Gaza’s borders have intensified as authorities move to expand humanitarian aid. Israel’s military overseeing aid said deliveries would increase to roughly 600 trucks per day.
Egypt confirmed it would send 400 additional trucks carrying medical supplies, tents, food, and fuel through the Rafah crossing. The UN and aid agencies have about 170,000 metric tons of food and medical supplies awaiting clearance.
President Trump is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday morning to meet hostages’ families and address Parliament before travelling to Egypt to co-chair a regional peace summit with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 250 others, has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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