JAKARTA - Hamas handed over some of its last Israeli hostages who were still alive on Monday. This is an important step in ending the two-year devastating conflict in Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal driven by US President Donald Trump.
Amid the cheers of hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Field, the Israeli military said it had received seven of the 20 hostages who were still alive after they were transferred from Gaza by the Red Cross.
"I am very happy. I am filled with happiness. It is hard to imagine how I feel right now. I didn't sleep all night," said Viki Cohen, the mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, as she travels to Reim, the Israeli military camp where the hostages will be transferred. reported by Reuters, Monday, October 13.
A total of 13 hostages who are still alive, along with the bodies of 26 dead hostages and two others whose fate is not yet known, are also expected to be released on Monday, along with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and inmates.
In Gaza, about a dozen masked and black-clad gunmen, who appear to be members of Hamas' armed wing, arrived at Nasser Hospital where a stage and seat have been set to welcome returning Palestinian prisoners.
"I hope these photos can be the end of this war. We lost friends and relatives, we lost our home and city," said Emad Abu Joudat, 57, a Palestinian father with six children from Gaza City while watching the handover preparations via his cell phone.
This release is one of the most important parts of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement agreed last week at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort, Egypt, where Trump and more than 20 other world leaders will meet on Monday evening.
Trump landed in Israel shortly after the announcement of the release of the first batch of hostages. He will address parliament before heading to Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood waiting at the airport as Air Force One landed, smiling and talking to US ambassadors.
Trump will be the fourth US president to address Knesset, after Jimmy Carter in 1979, Bill Clinton in 1994, and George W. Bush in 2008.
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