Trump Arrives in Israel as First Hostages Freed Under Gaza Ceasefire Deal
First Hostage Releases Coincide with Trump’s Arrival as Global Leaders Prepare to Sign Gaza Ceasefire Guarantee in Egypt.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — U.S. President Donald Trump landed in Israel aboard Air Force One on Monday, as the first group of Israeli hostages returned home from Gaza after two years in captivity under a landmark ceasefire agreement designed to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
Trump was welcomed with full honors at Ben Gurion Airport by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. The visit marks the first stop in a regional trip that will also take the U.S. president to Egypt, where he will co-chair a major peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh aimed at consolidating the truce and setting a roadmap for Gaza’s postwar future.
Hostage-Prisoner Exchange Begins
The Israeli army confirmed that Hamas handed over the first seven of 20 surviving hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City on Monday morning.
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the released captives were identified as Guy Gilboa Dalal, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Gali, Ziv Berman, and Omri Miran.
The releases triggered widespread celebration across Israel, with crowds gathering in Tel Aviv to cheer the news and express solidarity with the hostages’ families.
Under the ceasefire terms, Hamas is to release 47 Israeli living and deceased hostages in total in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans held by Israel since the war began.
Hamas is also expected to hand over the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in the 2014 conflict.
Netanyahu’s office said the Palestinian prisoners would be released once Israel receives confirmation that all hostages scheduled for release have crossed safely into Israeli territory.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a leading campaign group, welcomed the initial release but vowed to continue its efforts.
“Our struggle is not over. It will not end until the last hostage is located and returned for proper burial. This is our moral obligation. Only then will the people of Israel be whole,” the organization said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that several hostages still held in Gaza were allowed to make brief video calls with their families, a gesture confirmed by both Hamas sources and the Hostages and Families Forum.
Videos shared by the group showed emotional exchanges between relatives and captives who have not yet been freed.
Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt
Trump’s visit to Israel precedes a high-profile summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where more than 20 world leaders will meet to formally endorse the ceasefire and discuss Gaza’s reconstruction.
“The gathering aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
According to diplomatic sources, the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and likely Turkey will sign a document guaranteeing the ceasefire agreement. Neither Israel nor Hamas will attend the summit, although both have accepted the terms of the truce through mediators.
World leaders expected to participate include UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Iran, however, has declined to send representatives.
Hamas and Gaza’s Future
A Hamas official told AFP that the group “has relinquished control of the Strip” and agreed to a long-term truce, while stressing it remains “a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric.” Another senior Hamas figure ruled out the prospect of disarmament, saying such a step was “out of the question.”
Under the U.S.-backed postwar framework, an international body is expected to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and day-to-day administration, supported by an Arab-led security force.
Humanitarian aid began flowing into Gaza on Sunday, with more than 200 trucks — including fuel and cooking gas shipments — crossing through Kerem Shalom. An AFP reporter observed the convoys unloading supplies before returning to Egypt.
Following the ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to Gaza City, much of which lies in ruins. Gaza’s civil defense agency said over half a million people had returned by Saturday evening.
The ceasefire and initial hostage release mark a crucial turning point in efforts to end one of the region’s deadliest conflicts in decades — a war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise assault on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. In Israel’s subsequent offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
As Trump embarks on his regional peace mission, the world watches closely to see whether this fragile truce can hold — and whether the promise of stability and recovery for Gaza and Israel can finally begin to take shape.
