By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — All 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free Monday as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Hamas said Monday it will release the bodies of four of 28 deceased Israeli captives, though it was not immediately clear when the rest would be sent back to Israel. Israel said it has released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Speaking to parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he was “committed to this peace,” raising hopes that the ruinous war, which triggered other conflicts in the Middle East, might come to an end. But fundamental questions remain over when and how, whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza.
Cheering crowds greeted buses of released prisoners in the West Bank and Gaza, while families and friends of the hostages gathered in a square in Tel Aviv, Israel, cried out with joy and relief as news arrived that the captives were free.
U.S. President Donald Trump flew to the region and addressed the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. He was later to head to Egypt for a summit to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with other leaders.
Speaking ahead of Trump’s address in the Knesset, Netanyahu pledged that he was “committed to this peace” and he noted that on the Jewish calendar “today … marks the end of two years of war.”
Despite ceasefire, a long road ahead for Gaza
While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group. The ceasefire deal calls for a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.
In Israel’s retaliatory offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.
The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its some 2 million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
Hostages and prisoners released
Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the hostage transfers at public screenings across the country. In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages broke into wild cheers as television channels announced that the first group was in the hands of the Red Cross.
The freed hostages, all men, were later reunited with their families, and footage released by Israeli authorities showed tearful reunions.
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank rejoiced as buses carrying dozens of released prisoners from Ofer Prison arrived in Beitunia, near Ramallah. Later, giant crowds were gathered to greet buses carrying other prisoners arriving at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.
The prisoners include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.
More than 150 prisoners were sent to Egypt by Israel and arrived at Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt early Monday afternoon, according to an Egyptian official, who had direct knowledge of the deal’s implementation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families, said it was “shocked and dismayed” that so few of the deceased hostages were imminently coming back.
An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.
A painful chapter
The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity. Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.
As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.
Trump in Israel and Egypt
In his Knesset speech, Trump told Israeli lawmakers their country had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace after two years of war against Hamas and conflicts with Hezbollah and Iran.
“Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,” he declared.
“Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” Trump said. “Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
His speech was briefly interrupted when two members of the Knesset staged a protest and were subsequently removed from the chamber. One held up a small sign reading, “Recognize Palestine.”
Despite the optimism expressed by Trump, many thorny questions remain. Among the most difficult is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.
So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.
The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.
Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort town to attend the meeting.
The plan envisions an eventual role for Abbas’ Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.
The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.
The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.
___
This story has been updated to correct that cheering crowds greeted prisoners in Beitunia, not Ramallah.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel and Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank; Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war