Living Israeli hostages freed as Trump addresses Knesset after Hamas deal I Live Updates from Fox News Digital

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) condemned the Israel-Hamas ceasefire announced this week as a temporary pause in what it called Israel’s “genocide” and “occupation” of Palestinian lands, vowing to continue organizing boycotts and sanctions until full Palestinian liberation is achieved.

“Earlier this week the Palestinian resistance announced that a ceasefire agreement has been reached and would entail the end of this intensified stage of the genocide. This will not end Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people or the theft and occupation of Palestinian lands,” the DSA said in a published statement on Monday. “A conditional ceasefire agreement does not wash the hands of the ruling class that touted their legal obligation to intervene and instead, continued to fuel and arm genocide while stoking regional war.”

The group said it acknowledges and welcomes relief being provided to Palestinians under the agreement, as well as the “cessation” of Israeli military operations, noting that every life saved is “precious.”

DSA also said it sends the “strongest solidarity” to those in Palestine who have lost a great deal, encouraging them to take a moment to rest and grieve.

“However, DSA harbors no illusions that Israel will honor any negotiated agreement that preserves Palestinian life or self-determination. Past ceasefires only slowed the carnage, and Israel continued military action with impunity,” DSA said. “The future of Gaza continues to be negotiated, not self determined. The Occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, eroding under illegal settler expansion, continue to struggle under violent Israeli apartheid and occupation.

“Across the region, Israel terrorizes the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Qatar, and Iran while wielding the implicit threat of nuclear engagement to violently impose its fascist, expansionist aspirations,” the group continued. “The long sought after stability in the region is dependent on Israel and its allies finally being held accountable for their decades long list of war crimes and imperial aggression. Until then, there can be no long lasting peace.”

It also noted that the DSA’s role is to end U.S. complicity in Israel’s “genocide and apartheid at every level.”

“That’s why DSA is organizing Labor for an Arms Embargo and pushing to join the movement bursting forth in the Mediterranean and Europe to disrupt the supply chain of endless death,” DSA said. “To that end, we commit to further strengthening the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions picket line by organizing the masses into campaigns like Stop Fueling Genocide!, Mask Off Maersk, and No Appetite for Apartheid while working in coalition to effectively isolate Israel economically, culturally, and academically.

“We will break the gears of the US imperial war machine that enables Israel and halt the flow of arms and oil to ensure our comrades may resist their oppression, cast off the occupation and with dignity, freely self-determine their future,” it added.

A key litmus test for the success of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan will entail the disarming of Hamas terrorists. Yet the raison d’être for Hamas’ existence is to wage a terrorist campaign against Israel. Hamas agreed to give up its weapons, including rockets, as part of the agreement. However, a senior Hamas official on Saturday told AFP that it rejected Trump’s demand that it decommission its weapons.

Despite these stipulations, Hamas officials said disarming Hamas is “out of the question.” On Friday, its spokesman Basem Naim told Sky News that Hamas will not disarm and will remain “on the ground.” Furthermore, the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad remains wedded to the armed destruction of the Jewish state.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday, “Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarized. If this is achieved in the easy way – it’s all for the better. And if not – it will be achieved the hard way.” The hard way, for Israel, means Israel Defense Forces targeting armed Hamas terrorists for elimination if they refuse to surrender.

For almost 4,000 years, different powers have ruled Gaza, causing people to be displaced and live in poverty and fear.

Destruction and rebuilding in Gaza date back to the biblical narrative
of Samson. Over the centuries, the land was conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians. In the 1500s, Gaza became a military stronghold for the Ottoman Empire, and later, in 1799, it was briefly conquered by Napoleon.

When the British gained control of Gaza in 1917, violent struggles broke out between Jews and Arabs. Later, after Israeli independence in 1948, Arab refugees fled to Gaza, faced poverty, and lived under Egyptian rule without achieving citizenship.

After Israel took over Gaza in the 1967 Six-Day War, enmity between Israelis and Palestinians increased. The First and Second Intifada occurred before and after the Palestinian Authority gained control of Gaza in the 1990s. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. In 2007, Hamas was elected, leading to a brutal crackdown against opponents and new and more lethal attacks on Israel.

President Donald Trump celebrated “peace in the Middle East” after he signed the historic peace agreement that ended two years of fighting in Gaza. 

“At long last, we have peace in the Middle East, and it’s a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East,” Trump said during remarks at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, flanked by dozens of world leaders. 

“We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there. And now we’re there.” 

Read the full article about President Trump by Morgan Phillips

President Donald Trump’s emerging Gaza peace framework is generating both optimism and caution among regional analysts. While the plan could reshape Middle East dynamics, experts warn it may amount to little more than a temporary ceasefire unless Hamas is fully disarmed and stripped of power.

Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Moshe Dayan Forum at Tel Aviv University, said Hamas will never truly accept disarmament or foreign oversight, comparing its likely role to Hezbollah’s hidden influence in Lebanon. An Arab source familiar with the talks told Fox News Digital that Hamas might agree to disarm only if it trusts Prime Minister Netanyahu not to resume fighting or target its leaders afterward.

Ghaith al-Omari of the Washington Institute credited Trump with rallying regional powers, noting Turkey’s key leverage as both host and ideological model for Hamas. Yet he warned of growing rifts, as Egypt and the UAE appear hesitant to back full disarmament.

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said peace depends on Hamas’ total surrender, while former Israeli intelligence chief Tamir Heiman predicted Israel may need to maintain a buffer zone—ensuring “managed security,” not lasting peace.

This is an excerpt of an article by Efrat Lachter

​

Historian and former speechwriter for former President Joe Biden, Jon Meacham, praised President Donald Trump on Monday for securing a peace deal between Israel and Hamas.

While appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Meacham called the peace deal — which has secured an end to the war and the return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas — a win for Trump.

“This is a victory for President Trump,” he said.

This is an excerpt of an article from Gabriel Hays

The two names mentioned in President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to be included in a new international transitional body called the Board of Peace are Trump as the chair and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Building on this, Trump recognized Blair’s Middle East expertise when he invited him to participate in a policy meeting in late August on postwar Gaza.

Blair is well-versed in the power politics of Palestinian and Israeli affairs, a knowledge gained via his role from 2007 to 2015 as special Middle East envoy for the Quartet — the U.N., EU, U.S. and Russia — which sought to mediate a peace agreement.

Despite this experience, Hamas opposes Blair’s role in the Board of Peace. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas spokesman, told Sky News that, “When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims, and maybe others around the world, have bad memories of him. We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

This opposition partly arises from Blair’s subsequent support for the U.S. war against al Qaeda, the Taliban and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The White House issued a “Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity” memorandum on Monday evening.

The document was signed by President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The declaration begins by welcoming “the truly historic commitment and implementation by all parties to the Trump Peace Agreement, ending more than two years of profound suffering and loss — opening a new chapter for the region defined by hope, security, and a shared vision for peace and prosperity.”

“We understand that lasting peace will be one in which both Palestinians and Israelis can prosper with their fundamental human rights protected, their security guaranteed, and their dignity upheld,” the document continues. “We affirm that meaningful progress emerges through cooperation and sustained dialogue, and that strengthening bonds among nations and peoples serves the enduring interests of regional and global peace and stability.”

“We recognize the deep historical and spiritual significance of this region to the faith communities whose roots are intertwined with the land of the region — Christianity, Islam, and Judaism among them.  Respect for these sacred connections and the protection of their heritage sites shall remain paramount in our commitment to peaceful coexistence.”

​

ABC’s “The View” lauded the safe return of Israeli hostages on Monday, with co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin praising her former boss Donald Trump and his administration’s key role in the historic moment.

If this deal holds, Griffin said, it is a “massive diplomatic achievement.”

“The whole world can breathe a sigh of relief,” she said. Earlier, co-host Whoopi Goldberg played clips of celebrations of the current peace in the war-torn area, saying, “we can all pray that it stays that way.”

This is an excerpt of an article from David Rutz

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani
condemned U.S. support of Israel on Monday in an X post about tax dollars “fund[ing] genocide.”

“Today’s scenes of Israelis and Palestinians are profoundly moving: Israeli hostages being freed and families reunited after years of fear, uncertainty, and torture; the first days in Gaza without relentless Israeli bombardment of Palestinians as families return to rubble and loved ones freed from detention,” wrote Mamdani.

The Democrat added that there was a “glimmer of hope” about the ceasefire holding, which would bring “solace to millions of New Yorkers, who’ve felt the pain of the past few years.”

“We have watched as our tax dollars have funded a genocide,” Mamdani added. “The moral and human cost will be a lasting stain and requires accountability and real examination of our collective conscience and our government’s policies.”

President Donald Trump was praised on Monday by members of the media after securing a peace deal between Hamas and Israel as all 20 living Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity. 

Former CNN journalist Chris Cillizza said people who weren’t giving Trump credit for the peace deal were “blind.”

Former President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday that the president deserved credit.

 “Of course he does. And I give credit to President Trump, I give credit to [Steve] Witkoff and [Jared] Kushner and [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio. These are hard jobs. The president of the United States is the hardest job in the world, and these other jobs, including the job I occupied, are tremendously difficult,” Sullivan responded.

This is an excerpt from an article by Hanna Panreck

White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was photographed Saturday visiting an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base in the northern Gaza Strip as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding for a second day.

The image was obtained exclusively by Fox News. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) leader Adm. Brad Cooper accompanied Witkoff during the visit to the facility.

Thousands of Palestinians were seen returning to their homes in the Gaza Strip Saturday. One image showed a massive column of people moving north along the territory’s coastline, by vehicle and on foot. 

Read the full article about Steve Witkoff
by Greg Norman and James Levinson

On Aug. 22, the famine warning group Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) predicted famine in Gaza Governorate and warned two other governorates could be affected by Sept. 30. Some experts, however, question whether famine conditions were ever actually met in Gaza.

According to data from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, 187 Gazans died of malnutrition or related diseases between Aug. 22 and Oct. 7. While lamenting these deaths, David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that the number was far lower than the figure required to meet the IPC definition of famine.

Adesnik further explained that the IPC forecast a major worsening of the food security situation, which would typically be accompanied by substantially higher commodity prices—yet this did not occur.

Contrary to expectations, the World Food Programmme’s Palestine Market Monitor found that, from late August to the third week of September, prices for about two-thirds of food and nonfood items in three Gazan governorates either decreased or remained the same.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the Trump administration on Monday for helping secure a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

“Today is a wonderful day. Finally, finally, finally, the last living hostages brutally held by Hamas are home, an immense and overwhelming sigh of relief,” said Schumer. “I commend the enormous advocacy of the tireless hostage families, President Trump, his administration, and all who helped make this moment happen”

Schumer added that he still “solemnly reaffirm[s]” his commitment to bringing his deceased constituents Omer Neutra and Itay Chen home, who died in captivity.

“There is an enormous opportunity ahead for a long term and lasting peace,” the Democrat added. “It is with utmost importance that every party involved pursue the opportunity to finally build a lasting peace ultimately through a realized two-state solution that ensures security, prosperity, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

Former President Bill Clinton,
who brokered the unsuccessful Camp David Summit in July 2000, commended President Donald Trump’s ceasefire efforts in an X post on Monday.

“I’m grateful that a ceasefire has taken hold, that the last 20 living hostages have been freed, and that desperately needed aid has begun to flow into Gaza,” Clinton’s statement read.

“President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached.”

The former president added that Israel and Hamas “must try to turn this fragile moment into lasting peace that provides for the dignity and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.”

“I believe that they can get there, but only if they do it together,” Clinton concluded.

An Israeli convoy carrying four coffins of deceased hostages arrived in Israel on Monday evening.

Images show the coffins being transported in vehicles as people in the streets wave Israeli flags.

​

Ivanka Trump, President Donald Trump’s daughter and a former administration advisor, told a large crowd at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv Saturday night that she was “in awe” of the “strength and conviction in spite of such suffering” of the families of the hostages as they prepare to come home following the historic Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brokered by her father earlier this week.

“And the president wanted me to share, as he has with so many of you personally, that he sees you, he hears you, he stands with you always,” she added. “And, the return of each hostage is not only a moment of homecoming and relief/ It’s a triumph of faith, of courage and of our shared humanity.” 

Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, told the crowd he had complete confidence that “what will rise from this trauma will be a level of greatness, a level of achievement, a level of impact on the world, a level of leadership that Israel has never seen.

Read the full article about Ivanka Trump
by Brie Stimson

​

Emotional video captures the moment that hostage Matan Angrest, 22, was reunited with his family on Oct. 13, after two years of captivity under Hamas.

The footage shows Angrest’s family cheering hugging him at Ichilov Hospital. According to AP, Angrest was an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped from his military tank in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

On the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks Tuesday, Angrest’s mother Anat Angrest addressed him son at a rally.

“I know you’re in pain, and I can’t hug you. I hear you whisper, ‘Come for me, Mom,’ and I can’t protect you,” she said.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel and murdered roughly 1,200 people, including more than 40 American citizens, and kidnapped more than 250 others during a massacre in southern Israel.

In the two years that followed, Israel fought a grueling seven-front war against Iran-backed proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Gaza, Iraq and the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), as well as with Iran itself. Throughout this period, Israel conducted sophisticated aerial, ground and targeted assassination campaigns across the Middle East to ensure its survival. These efforts culminated in a Trump-brokered ceasefire.

Subsequently, President Donald Trump
launched Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting key Iranian nuclear weapons facilities, which aided Israel’s strikes against Iran’s nuclear program in June. As a result, with Iran’s regime weakened, the Trump administration helped Israel further isolate Hamas from its main sponsor.

Israel announced that received four coffins containing the remains of deceased hostages, but did not immediately identify whose remains were returned.

Before their bodies are returned to Israeli territory, there will be a military protocol held in their honor. The IDF said this will involve soldiers draping Israeli flags on their coffins, saluting the deceased and reciting a chapter from the Book of Psalms.

The bodies of 24 deceased hostages still remain in Gaza.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke during a summit in Egypt where President Donald Trump and other world leaders signed the historic Gaza peace plan.

“Today is one of the greatest days in contemporary history because peace has been achieved after untiring efforts, efforts led by President Trump, who is genuinely a man of peace,” Sharif said. He added that Trump worked “relentlessly” to lead efforts to “make this world a place to live with peace and prosperity.”

Sharif also said that Pakistan nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said the return of the 20 living hostages to Israel showed that the call to “Let My People Go” was answered. The lawmaker noted the hostages’ resilience and said that they will “outlast the terrorist organization that tore them from their families and homes.”

President Donald Trump and several world leaders signed a historic Gaza peace plan following a summit in Egypt. This comes just hours after all 20 living Israeli hostages returned home from Gaza.

The president called it a “tremendous day for the world” and a “tremendous day for the Middle East.”

“This took 3,000 years to get to this point. Can you believe it? And it’s going to hold up too. It’s going to hold up,” Trump said after signing.

Avinatan Or was released from captivity after two years and was reunited with his partner, Noa Argamani, who was also held hostage in Gaza. Or and Argamani were kidnapped from the Nova music festival. Argamani was rescued in June 2024 in an IDF operation.

The video of Argamani being abducted at the festival and screaming while being taken on a motorcycle into Gaza spread across the globe. Argamani’s mother was suffering from brain cancer when her daughter was kidnapped and worried she would not see her again. Three weeks after Argamani was rescued, her mother passed away.

After she was freed from captivity, Argamani advocated for the release of the remaining hostages, including Or. She spoke at the United Nations, met with President Donald Trump and went around the world demanding the hostages be freed.

Israeli authorities said Hamas transferred two coffins of deceased hostages to the Red Cross, with two more expected to be delivered. There are 28 deceased hostages in total whose remains are expected to be released as part of the ceasefire deal.

“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” the IDF and Israel Security Agency said in a joint statement.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it was “shocked and dismayed” to learn that Hamas was refusing to release the remains of all deceased hostages.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin celebrated the return of the hostages as a “defining moment,” which he said “belongs to the people of Israel, and all who believe in humanity,” as well as the fallen soldiers.

“We will not rest until the mission is complete. We are prepared for the return of all the fallen hostages, and expect Hamas to abide by the terms of the agreement,” Defrin said in a statement.

Earlier on Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused Hamas of releasing just four of the 28 deceased hostages’ remains, violating the agreement brokered by the Trump administration.

​

President Donald Trump offered new details about how the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement came together on Monday, saying the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program were critical.

Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News’ Trey Yingst in Israel on Monday. Trump received a warm welcome from Israeli lawmakers in Jerusalem before traveling to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for a peace summit.

Trump told Fox that he was impressed by the enthusiasm “shown all over the world” for the release of the 20 living hostages back to Israel.

“I think it really started when we took out the nuclear capability of Iran,” Trump told Yingst. “When you look at what they had, you couldn’t have made this deal with someone sitting over there with a nuclear weapon over your head.”

Yingst said Trump emphasized that the Gaza deal is only the beginning of what he hopes will become a wider movement toward peace across the Middle East.

​

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday’s peace conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will host more than 20 world leaders in a bid to cement an end to the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister was “unable to attend due to time constraints ahead of the start of the holiday.” October 13–15 marks Shemini Atzeret, followed by Simchat Torah on October 15.

Leader of Israel’s left-wing Democrats, Yair Golan, condemned the decision

“I am appalled by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to skip this historic event orchestrated by President Trump. Let it be clear: Netanyahu’s refusal to attend the peace summit in Egypt is driven purely by narrow political interests,” he said in a statement to Fox News. 

“After two years of Israel’s most difficult war, we can not afford a leader guided by his personal interest.”

The summit, set in the Red Sea resort town, is expected to draw leaders from Turkey, Jordan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and top representatives from the United Nations and the European Union. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also slated to attend as regional powers press for a role in stabilizing postwar Gaza.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Morgan Phillips.

​

Hamas is poised to release the coffins of more deceased hostages to Israel on Monday.

The IDF announced the transfer, but Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
said Hamas still is not living up to its commitment to release all deceased hostages.

“According to information received, the Red Cross is on its way to the meeting point in the southern Gaza Strip, where several coffins of deceased hostages will be transferred into their custody,” the IDF said in a statement.

“The IDF is prepared to receive additional coffins of deceased hostages expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later on,” the statement continued.

Katz says the transfer will include the remains of just four of the deceased hostages. There are 28 total to be released.

​

Following Hamas’ release of all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, pictures and videos are pouring in of their families’ reunifications. 

The hostages have arrived back in Israel, where they will undergo medical checks after 738 days in captivity. Their release was part of a deal aimed at ending two years of war.

When Guy Gilboa-Dalal met his family at the initial reception point following his release, his family shouted and hugged him so tightly they were hanging off of him as they went into another room. Moments later, the group posed for a photo.

Israeli twins Gali and Ziv Berman, 28, were all smiles when they were handed over to the IDF and saw each other face to face. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.

Photos of the first seven hostages to be freed Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.

“Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,” President Donald Trump declared to the Israeli Knesset during a longer than 40-minute address on Monday. 

Trump spoke with families at the Knesset building as they expressed their gratitude for helping to bring them back together with their loved ones.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Pilar Arias

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has been an outspoken advocate for Israel, celebrated the return of the hostages and credited President Donald Trump with ending the “awful war.”

“The nightmare finally ends,” Fetterman said. “May the hostages have a full recovery and may we never forget those who didn’t make it out alive.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not join President Donald Trump’s summit in Egypt, due to the start of Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to attend today’s conference in Egypt
.The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said that he will be unable to attend due to time constraints ahead of the start of the holiday,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his efforts to expand the circle of peace – peace through strength.”

Leader of Israel’s left-wing Democrats, Yair Golan, condemned the decision.

“I am appalled by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to skip this historic event orchestrated by President Trump. Let it be clear: Netanyahu’s refusal to attend the peace summit in Egypt is driven purely by narrow political interests,” he said in a statement to Fox News. 

Netanyahu noted in his Knesset address that, according to the Jewish lunisolar calendar, the day marked two years since the Oct. 7 attacks, which occurred on Simchat Torah.

​

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon joined “FOX & Friends” as all 20 living hostages were freed from Gaza after more than two years in captivity. He began with a prayer thanking God for bringing the people to this moment.

“The entire Jewish community and supporters of Israel [have been waiting] for what we are seeing today,” Danon said.

In addition to the 20 living hostages, Hamas is set to release the remains of 28 deceased hostages. 

Sagui Dekel-Chen, an American-Israeli, thanked President Donald Trump and said his life was once again full after he was freed and met his daughter, who was born while he was held in Gaza.

“I got my life back, thanks to you and your staff,” Dekel-Chen said. “I came back here, met my baby girl
when she was already 14 months old, and now, life is full.”

​

President Donald Trump addressed Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday after all living Israeli hostages were freed from Gaza.

The president said it was “the end of an age of terror and death, and the beginning of the age of faith and hope, and of God.”

“Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change and change very much for the better. Like the USA right now, it will be the golden age of Israel and the golden age of the Middle East,” he said.

When he entered the Knesset chamber ahead of his speech, Trump was met with thunderous applause, chants and a standing ovation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders thanked Trump for brokering the peace deal.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on Monday that Hamas violated the agreement by releasing four of the 28 deceased hostages’ remains. The organization said it was “shocked and dismayed” by the news.

“This represents a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas. We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice. The families of the deceased hostages are enduring especially difficult days filled with deep sorrow,” the forum wrote.

“We will not abandon any hostage. The mediators must enforce the agreement’s terms and ensure Hamas pays a price for this violation.”

President Donald Trump asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon and end the corruption case against him.

Trump has previously pushed for the case to be dropped, citing Netanyahu’s leadership during the Israel-Hamas war.

“Whether we like it or not, this has been one of the greatest wartime presidents, this has been one of the greatest wartime presidents,” Trump said about Netanyahu. “Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?”

Trump acknowledged that the request was not part of his prepared remarks.

President Donald Trump said in his address to Knesset that now that the war is over, it is time for Palestinians to make a choice between terror and prosperity.

“The choice for Palestinians could not be more clear. This is their chance to turn forever from the path of terror and violence. It’s been extreme time to exile the wicked forces of hate that are in their midst,” Trump said. He added that it was time for them to focus on building their people up, not tearing Israel down.

While addressing Knesset, President Donald Trump spoke about Operation Midnight Hammer in which the U.S. decimated Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“We took a big cloud off of the Middle East and off of Israel,” Trump said. “And it was my honor to help.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke about the operation, saying, “This is the most fitting name ever named for a military operation. Because a little after midnight, you really hammered them.”

Far-left Knesset members Aymen Odeh and Ofer Cassif held pro-Palestinian signs and were expelled from the parliament chamber as President Donald Trump addressed Israel’s leaders.

Trump quipped that their expulsion was done in a “very efficient” manner.

At the beginning of the session, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana warned that anyone who disrupted the session would be thrown out of the hall.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid sent a message those who protested against Israel during its war with Hamas.

“You were deceived. Propaganda experts funded by terror money manipulated you. Now that the war is stopped, you have time and a chance to go and learn the facts,” Lapid said.

“The truth is that a democratic state was attacked by a fanatical terrorist organization. 1,200 people were killed in one day, women were raped, babies were burned alive, and all the while they played with your minds, selling you the absurd idea that supporting Islamic terror is somehow a liberal value.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he nominated President Donald Trump to be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, the nation’s highest honor. The prime minister thanked Trump for what he has done for the State of Israel, and called him “the greatest friend the State of Israel has ever had in the White House.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump, calling him “the greatest friend that the State of Israel has ever had in the White House.”

“No American president has ever done more for Israel, and as I said in Washington, it ain’t even close. It’s really not a match,” Netanyahu said while addressing Israel’s parliament.

Relatives of twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman watch as the two were reunited as free men after spending more than two years as hostages.

The Berman brothers’ loved ones wore shirts that read, “it’s so good you’re home.”

President Donald Trump was met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation as he entered Israel’s Knesset chamber to address the country’s leaders.

Celebrations erupted across Israel on Monday as the 20 living hostages were freed and returned home.

All living hostages that remained in Gaza have been freed and are in Israeli territory, authorities say. After more than two years in captivity, they will reunite with their loved ones.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum celebrated the return of the living hostages to Israel and vowed to fight until every deceased hostage was returned for proper burial, calling it a “moral obligation.”

“After 738 agonizing days in captivity, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Avinatan Or, Bar Kupershtein, Eitan Horn, Elkana Bohbot, Evyatar David, Maksym Harkin, Matan Zangauker, Nimrod Cohen, Rom Braslvaski, Segev Kalfon, and Yosef-Chaim Ohana, are returning to us to the embrace of their families who worked tirelessly for their release, to their friends, and to an entire nation that believed and fought for this day to come,” the forum wrote.

“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.”

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff celebrated the return of the remaining hostages, but mourned for the families who would be receiving their loved ones’ remains for burial.

“Today, twenty families are spared the unbearable pain of not knowing if they will ever see their loved ones again. But even in this moment of relief and happiness, my heart aches for those whose loved ones will not return alive,” Witkoff wrote.

Witkoff said he felt his late son Andrew’s presence as he watched the living hostages reunite with their loved ones.

Omri Miran’s family celebrated as they watched the moment he was transferred to Israeli custody after spending more than two years as a hostage in Gaza.

Israeli authorities announced Monday that all living hostages were freed and on their way home.

​

President Donald Trump hailed a “new beginning” for the Middle East ahead of his address to Israeli parliament, known as Knesset.

“This is my great honor – a great and beautiful day. A new beginning,” Trump wrote in a guest book.

Trump is expected to address Israeli parliament on Monday as all living hostages are freed from captivity in Gaza

Eitan Mor’s family watched as he was transferred into Israeli custody after more than two years of captivity in Gaza. He is one of the 20 living hostages who were freed from captivity on Monday.

Twins Gali and Ziv Berman reunited after more than two years in captivity as both were freed on Monday. The brothers were kidnapped from Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7 attacks, along with several others, including Emily Damari, who was freed in an earlier ceasefire deal.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter posted a photo of himself greeting President Donald Trump on a tarmac in Israel. The diplomat said that the president told him that his late son, who fell in battle in November 2023, was “looking down at you with a smile.”

“I told you that when Moshe led his forces into Gaza, he said they were going in to bring our brothers and sisters home. He and his comrades began the mission — and you, Mr. President, together with our [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu], have completed it,” Leiter wrote.

Israel is paying a steep price to secure the release
of 48 hostages held by Hamas, agreeing to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including some convicted for deadly attacks. The deal excludes top leaders, like Fatah’s Marwan Barghouti, whose release Hamas had sought.

Jerusalem on Friday published a list of 250 Palestinian security prisoners set for release under the deal’s criteria. Named are Ismail Hamdan, who kidnapped and murdered Avi Boaz Braverman in 2002 near Har Gilo; Ziad Awad, freed in the 2011 Shalit deal and later convicted of killing Deputy Chief of Police Baruch Mizrahi; and Muhammad Zakarneh, involved in the 2009 murder of taxi driver Grigory Raginovich.

Under the terms of the agreement, convicted murderers will be deported to the Gaza Strip or to a third country and will not be allowed to return to Israel or to Judea and Samaria permanently.

In addition, Israel will release 1,722 Gazans captured during the current war who were not involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre.

​

Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is an organization that most assume is focused on delivering much needed aid and supplies in harsh environments without bias or favor. However, one of the organization’s former leaders is criticizing how MSF has handled the situation in Gaza, going so far as to say its members have acted as “accomplices of Hamas.”

Alain Destexhe, who worked as a doctor with MSF in the 1980s before serving as the group’s secretary-general in the 1990s, told Fox News Digital the organization moved away from its impartial, humanitarian roots.

“Well, it would have been impossible at the time when I was secretary-general of MSF to be as biased as MSF — Doctors Without Borders — is now in Gaza. We were defining ourselves as a neutral, impartial and humanitarian organization,” Destexhe told Fox News Digital. “I think now MSF in Gaza is really taking the side [of] Hamas and against Israel.

Read the full article about Doctors Without Borders by Rachel Wolf

Israel’s Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, says the country is accomplishing a key objective in the war against Hamas as Operation “Returning Home” brings hostages back from Gaza.

“This is a very significant day,” Zamir said from the Hostage and Missing Persons Headquarters Situation Room, where he is commanding the operation alongside Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nitzan Alon, head of the Hostage and Missing Persons Headquarters, and Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, head of the Intelligence Directorate.

“We are succeeding in realizing a key part of the defined war objectives,” Zamir said. “Today, we want to see all the hostages. This is an event in which you have accomplished something tremendous, together with the IDF troops on the front line. Our mission will not end until the last hostage is returned.”

Zamir praised Alon for his leadership in the operation, calling his contribution “exceptional” and expressing gratitude for his “friendship and partnership.”

“After two years of one of the toughest wars we have known, it has concluded but is not complete — we are closely monitoring developments on the ground,” Zamir said. “The IDF will not cease for a moment from carrying out this sacred mission until the return of the last hostage.”

Israeli hostage Omri Miran returned home after more than 700 days in Hamas captivity, according to a statement released Monday by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.

“Dad Omri is home,” the family said in the statement. “After more than 700 long, painful and agonizing days, Omri will finally receive from Roni and Alma a healing embrace.”

Miran’s family thanked the people of Israel for standing by them “in the darkest hours and on days when this moment seemed like a distant and impossible wish,” calling his return “not a personal victory but a victory of an entire people.”

The family also expressed “deep gratitude to the security forces and the heroic IDF soldiers,” adding that they now face “a complex and challenging, yet moving, journey of recovery.”

“We remain committed to the struggle — until the last hostage returns, and until the complete recovery of our beloved country,” the statement said. “May Omri’s return mark the beginning of this recovery and the unity of our people.”

President Donald Trump arrived in Israel early Monday to oversee a landmark peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, a deal expected to end the two-year war in Gaza.

Trump landed in Tel Aviv after telling reporters before takeoff that “the war is over” and praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for doing a “very good job” helping secure the deal.

The president is set to meet with families of hostages and address the Knesset in Jerusalem before heading to Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh for an international summit where world leaders are expected to finalize the accord.

Seven Israeli hostages freed from Gaza are on their way back to Israel, according to a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA).

The IDF said its forces met the hostages inside Gaza and are escorting them to Israeli territory for medical evaluations. “The commanders and soldiers of the IDF salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,” the military said, adding that it is asking the public to respect their privacy and rely only on official information.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the hostages’ identities and said their families have been notified. Government agencies, including the Hostages and Returnees Directorate, will support them through the recovery process.

“The Government of Israel embraces our hostages returning home,” the statement said, adding that Israel remains “committed to bringing back all hostages held by the enemy” and will continue the mission “with determination and perseverance.”

In all, 1,966 Palestinian detainees are expected to be released Monday as part of the Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange, according to an official involved in the operation who spoke to Reuters.

All detainees slated for release have boarded buses at Israeli prisons, the official said.

Of those, 1,716 Palestinians from Gaza are expected to be released at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital.

The remaining 250, who had been serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, are expected to be released to the West Bank, Jerusalem and abroad.

Israel prepares to receive the remaining 48 hostages from Gaza following Jerusalem’s approval of the first phase of President Trump’s 20-point plan.

Under the terms of the deal, the following individuals are scheduled to return by Monday.

Presumed alive: Matan Angrest, 22; Gali Berman, 28; Ziv Berman, 28; Elkana Bohbot, 36;Rom Braslavski, 21; Nimrod Cohen, 20; Ariel Cunio, 28; David Cunio, 35; Evyatar David, 24; Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24; Maxim Herkin, 37; Eitan Horn, 38; Segev Kalfon, 27; Bar Abraham Kupershtein, 23; Omri Miran, 48; Eitan Mor, 25; Yosef-Haim Ohana, 25; Alon Ohel, 24; Avinatan Or, 32; Matan Zangauker, 25.

Status unconfirmed (alive or deceased): Tamir Nimrodi, 20; Bipin Joshi, 24.

Presumed dead: Tamir Adar, 38; Muhammad Al-Atarash, 39; Sahar Baruch, 24; Uriel Baruch, 35; Itay Chen, 19; Amiram Cooper, 85; Ronen Engel, 54; Meny Godard, 73; Hadar Goldin, 23; Ran Gvili, 24; Tal Haimi, 41; Asaf Hamami, 40; Inbar Hayman, 27; Guy Illouz, 26; Eitan Levi, 53; Eliyahu Margalit, 75; Joshua Loito Mollel, 21; Omer Neutra, 21; Sontia Ok’Krasari, 30; Dror Or, 48; Daniel Oz, 19; Daniel Peretz, 22; Sontisek Rintalk, 43; Lior Rudaeff, 61; Yossi Sharabi, 53; Arie Zalmanowicz, 85.

​

The prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is officially underway, with Red Cross convoys seen moving through Gaza early Monday as part of the operation to transfer hostages and prisoners.

The exchange began around 8 a.m. and is expected to continue throughout the morning.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is coordinating the handover, transporting several Israeli hostages from Gaza to Israeli custody, while Palestinian prisoners are set to be released in return.

Hamas released seven hostages into Red Cross custody on Monday, the first freed under the ceasefire deal: Alon Ohel, Matan Angrest, Eitan Mor, Ziv Berman, Gali Berman, Omri Miran and Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Their conditions were not immediately known.

The announcement sparked emotional scenes across Israel, as families cheered and crowds gathered in Tel Aviv and other cities to watch the live coverage.

Hamas said 20 hostages will ultimately be exchanged for more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Air Force are on site to assist with the transfers and expect additional hostages to be handed over later today.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, said each hostage will receive a care kit prepared by Israel’s Hostage Affairs Directorate, which includes clothing, personal items, a laptop, phone and tablet.

Netanyahu and his wife also included a personal note for each of the returnees that read:

“On behalf of all the people of Israel, welcome back! We have been waiting for you, we embrace you. — Sara and Benjamin Netanyahu.”

The Red Cross convoys are expected to continue moving between Gaza and Israel throughout the day as the exchange progresses.

​

Red Cross convoy seen in Gaza ahead of hostage-prisoner exchange.

Red Cross buses and vehicles were spotted on the move in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis early Monday as preparations continue for a highly anticipated prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinian groups.

Video captured by Reuters shows a convoy of Red Cross vehicles moving through local streets a sign the exchange is nearing.

The exchange follows weeks of tense negotiations aimed at easing the ongoing conflict in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has complete confidence in President Donald Trump’s commitment to ensuring that all parties uphold the Gaza peace agreement, Caroline Glick, the prime minister’s international affairs advisor, told Fox News Digital.

“We have deep faith in President Trump — in his sincerity, his support for Israel, and his leadership — and we are confident in his commitment to holding all parties accountable to the deal, in partnership with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Glick said.

She noted that Trump’s plan, if implemented, would give Israel the means to dismantle Hamas and prevent Gaza from once again threatening the Jewish state. She pointed to Phase Two of the framework, which calls for Hamas’ demobilization and demilitarization, followed by efforts to deradicalize the population of Gaza.

Read the full article about the ceasefire plan by Amelie Botbol

The emerging Gaza peace framework crafted by President Donald Trump could reshape regional dynamics, but analysts warn that unless Hamas is fully stripped of its weapons and power, this will amount to little more than a pause for the terrorist group before it renews conflict.

Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Moshe Dayan Forum at Tel Aviv University and one of Israel’s foremost experts on Hamas, says any plan that assumes the group will dissolve misunderstands its nature.”Forget words like peace and coexistence — that won’t happen,” he told Fox News Digital.

Hamas leaders, he explained, have made clear they will not accept an international mandate or a Tony Blair-style trusteeship. 

Read the full article about the Trump peace plan by Efrat Lachter

​

Vice President JD Vance warned Sunday that some of the hostages killed while held by Hamas may never be returned to their families.

“The reality is that some of the hostages may never get back, but I do think, with some effort, we’ll be able to give them to their families so they at least have some closure,” Vance said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”

The vice president continued, noting that while rescuing living hostages remains the Trump administration’s top priority, returning the remains of those killed is also an important effort to give families closure.

Read the full article about JD Vance by Taylor Penley

A prominent Hamas leader lost his temper and stormed off from a live interview after being pressed on the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the devastating subsequent war in Gaza.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’ longtime foreign relations chief and a co-founder of the terror group, tried to justify his organization’s crimes by saying Hamas “fulfilled its national duty” and acted as “resistance to occupation” in an interview on Arabic television.

The host shot back and questioned whether the Hamas attacks had helped the Palestinian cause and if they had achieved anything meaningful for the Palestinians, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Read the
full article about Mousa Abu Marzouk by Michael Dorgan

U.S. service members will arrive in Israel by Sunday to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire with Hamas, Fox News has learned.

The U.S. troops, all of whom come from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), will set up the civil military command center as the ceasefire unfolds, a senior U.S. official said.

Some of the service members are coming from the U.S., and some were already in the region. Most are with the Army.

They are experts in logistics, security, engineering and transportation.

Read the full article about the ceasefire by Brie Stimson, Jennifer Griffin and James Levinson

Egypt is slated to host several world leaders at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, a resort city near the Red Sea, on Monday.

An Egyptian presidential spokesperson told the Times of Israel that the meeting will focus on finalizing an agreement to end the war in Gaza.

Over 20 leaders will be present, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Foreign officials from France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the U.A.E. and the U.K. will also attend.

Reports state that the U.S. expanded the list to also include attendees from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Canada, Cyprus, El Salvador, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Kuwait and Spain.

Israel was not invited to the event, according to reports.

President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan involves two phases. The initial step was a ceasefire, which went into effect on Friday, along with Israeli troop withdrawals from urban parts of Gaza that same day. Israel will control at least 53% of the Gaza Strip as part of the first phase of the peace deal.

The first part requires that the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza release roughly 20 Israeli hostages who are believed to be alive and the bodies of 28 hostages. Trump said the hostage release could unfold either on Monday or Tuesday because “getting them is a complicated process.” After the hostages are transferred to Israel, the Jewish state will release 250 Palestinian terrorists and criminals who are incarcerated in Israeli prisons. Israel will be obligated to free 1,700 Palestinian Gazans who have been detained during Israel’s war against the Iran-backed Hamas.

The second phase will be a heavy lift, according to experts, because it requires that Hamas lay down its weapons and be disarmed. Hamas would play no role in the future governance of the Mediterranean enclave. The Gaza Strip would be a military-free zone with all “military, terror and offensive infrastructure” destroyed.