UN says humanitarian aid to Gaza boost under way
The top UN humanitarian official said on Monday that a scale-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza is under way.
Tom Feltcher said that the UN and its partners distributed hundreds of thousands of hot meals and bread bundles in southern and northern Gaza. He also said cooking gas entered the Strip for the first time in months.
“This is just the beginning,” he wrote on social media after he arrived in Egypt’s resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to attend an international summit on Gaza.
Hostage release definitive end to war, Israelis say
Many Israelis see the release of all the hostages as a definitive end to the war and a chance to celebrate life.
“I think what you are seeing here, the people that are celebrating in the square, something for me that is very Israeli, to see so many people gathering around to celebrate not the death of our enemies but the life of our people, of Israeli people,” said Gili Roman.
His sister Yarden Roman-Gat was freed from Gaza during the first ceasefire in November 2023, but his sister-in-law Carmel Gat was killed in captivity last year.
Roman said it is essential for people around the world not to define Israel just by the army that’s been fighting in Gaza, but as a country of people who want to live.
“Israel is when we’re celebrating people coming back alive and that the war is over,” he said.
Second group of hostages released, Israeli media report
Hamas has released another group of 13 hostages to the Red Cross in southern Gaza, and they are on their way to Israel, domestic media reported.
This brings the total number of living hostages released on Monday to 20 — meaning, all of those Israel believes to be alive. The rest of the 48 hostages held by Hamas since 7 October 2023 are likely dead, according to prior reports.
IDF releases first images of released hostages
The Israeli military has released the first images of the group of seven hostages freed on Monday morning, including those of twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman embracing.
In another photo, Alon Ohel is seen meeting the Israeli army at the preliminary exchange point in the Gaza Strip after being released.
Gali Berman and Guy Gilboa-Dala were also among the first group of hostages Hamas handed over to the IDF via the Red Cross.
EU’s Kallas praises Trump for hostage release ‘breakthrough’
The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas praised US President Donald Trump for the hostage release, saying on X he “made this breakthrough possible.”
She also welcomed the release of the first group of seven hostages held by Hamas, stating it was a “major success for democracy” and a “crucial milestone towards peace.”
Netanyahu welcomes Trump as they head to Jerusalem
US President Donald Trump is on his way to Jerusalem together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara.
There, Trump will address the Knesset. Trump is travelling in his armoured vehicle known as The Beast.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff all met with the US president after he landed in Israel on Monday.
Hostages arrive at checkpoint, IDF confirms
The first seven hostages released by Hamas have arrived at the initial reception point, the Israeli military confirmed.
They will be given a medical checkup before they are reunited with their families.
Hamas will release another group of “several hostages” later in the day, IDF reported.
Loved ones of hostages wait with bated breath
Families and friends of the captives could be seen cheering as Israeli television channels announced that the hostages had been turned over to the Red Cross.
Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered across the country to share the moment at public screenings, with a large event being held in Tel Aviv.
Major Israeli TV channels aired special overnight coverage ahead of the hostages’ release as anticipation mounted. Before dawn, crowds began gathering around a large screen in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.
What we know so far about the hostage release?
Early on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had started a “multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of hostages and prisoners.
The living hostages will first be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will then transfer them to the Israeli military. They will be taken to the Reim military base, where they will be reunited with their families.
The remains of up to 28 other hostages are not expected to be returned at the same time. An international task force will be formed to locate the bodies of hostages not recovered within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.
250 Palestinians who are serving life terms or long sentences in Israeli prisons are expected to be released, as well as 1,700 who were detained in the Gaza Strip during the war. No timetable has yet been announced for the release of the Palestinian prisoners, who are expected to first go through a medical check-up before being reunited with their families in a ceremony.