Israel celebrated a historic victory early Monday as 20 hostages returned home under President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, marking the first phase of his landmark ceasefire agreement. The hostages—freed after more than two years in Hamas captivity—were reunited with their families in scenes of jubilation across Israel.
Video showed several hostages speaking with relatives before being handed to the Israel Defense Forces. The first group of seven was released around 2 a.m. Eastern Time, followed by the remaining 13 two hours later. Upon arrival, the freed hostages received “welcome kits” with personal notes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with phones, tablets, and computers.
As the release unfolded, Trump landed in Tel Aviv to a hero’s welcome. The Ben Gurion Airport control tower greeted him with: “Welcome to the state of Israel, Mr. President. Your visit carries deep meaning for our people in these times.” A massive beachside banner in Tel Aviv read, “THANK YOU.”
Addressing the Knesset, Trump praised Israel’s resilience, saying, “It should now be clear to everyone… that decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism… have backfired completely and totally.” He declared, “Now, it is time to translate these victories… into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
Netanyahu called the moment “an evening of tears, an evening of joy,” and said, “Tomorrow is the beginning of a new path—a path of rebuilding, a path of healing.”
Trump will next attend a summit in Egypt to finalize later stages of the Gaza peace plan, including Hamas’s disarmament and the war’s official end.
