With the eyes of the world on Gaza, 20 Israeli men who have survived two years as Hamas captives are expected to be freed on Monday morning.
They are the last living hostages snatched during the Islamist terror attacks that triggered two years of appalling warfare.
There will be no handover ceremony, with the Red Cross sending ten vehicles into Gaza to whisk the men back to safety.
As Donald Trump set off for Israel to see the realisation of his peace deal, Hamas were under orders to also release the bodies of 28 hostages – but there is growing concern some have been lost.
The President flew to Tel Aviv after helping secure peace between Israel and Hamas, two years since the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023.
He will first arrive at the Israeli city on Monday afternoon, scheduled to land just after 9am local time.
Onboard the Air Force One, Trump said he was hopeful the hostages may be released earlier than expected, adding: ‘They have the hostages – I understand all 20 – and we may get them out a little bit early.
‘Getting them was amazing actually, because we were involved, and they were in places that you don’t want to know about.’
Donald Trump is on his way to the Middle East after securing a peace deal between Israel and Hamas
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrives at Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, ahead of the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt
Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, October 12, 2025
People listen to songs played on a piano at Hostages Square on October 12, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel
He also addressed reporters just before boarding the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, as he stood beneath an umbrella that shook in the unrelenting wind.
‘There are 500,000 people, yesterday and today, in Israel and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody’s cheering at one time – that’s never happened before,’ he said.
‘Usually, if you have one cheering, the other isn’t – the other is the opposite. This is the first time everybody is amazed, and they’re thrilled.
‘It’s an honor to be involved, and we’re going to have an amazing time, and it’s going to be something that’s never, never happened before.’
Trump then waved goodbye as he stepped onto the aircraft. When he arrives in Tel Aviv, he will meet with families of hostages who have been in Hamas captivity, before delivering remarks to the Knesset – Israel’s unicameral legislature.
Speaking on Sunday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday marked ‘the beginning of a new path’.
He told the relatives of the remaining hostages that their release was a ‘historic event that some people did not believe would happen’.
He added: ‘Together we will continue to win, and with the help of God, together we will guarantee the eternity of the country and land of Israel.’
Hamas confirmed on Sunday night it had moved all the living hostages into three different locations in the Gaza Strip ready for release.
Special forces were on standby to intervene if mobs tried to attack them, while the Israel Defence Forces warned it would respond to any provocations or deviations from the plan.
After 738 days in captivity, the hostages were expected to be taken to the Re’im military base in southern Israel where medical teams could assess them before they met their families.
The most unwell were to be taken by helicopter to hospitals near Tel Aviv.
Trump gives a thumbs up while boarding Air Force One as he departs for Israel
The President waves as he boards the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland
Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) as he arrives at the White House on September 29, 2025 in Washington
An American Flag covered a historic building in Tel Aviv ahead of Trump’s arrival to the city
President Trump is due to arrive into Israel on Monday morning to give a historic speech to mark the end of the war.
Sir Keir Starmer will also attend a peace summit in Egypt where he is expected to heap praise on Mr Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
He is also expected to announce £20million in aid for water, sanitation and hygiene services, The Times reports.
Ilan Dalal, the father of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, on Sunday night told Israeli media the first thing he will do on seeing his son is ‘hug him, smell him and tell him that the nightmare is over’.
‘I don’t know what kind of son I’m going to get back, and I hope that he won’t be so harmed that he can’t rebuild his life,’ he said.
Israel said only once all the living are accounted for at Re’im will they ‘switch on the engines’ of the vehicles taking the first 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and terrorists to freedom.
Meanwhile, Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine is preparing to identify the remains of 28 hostages and determine their cause of death.
‘We want to understand what happened to bring the families full information, closure and knowledge,’ said Dr Chen Kugel.
During the last ceasefire, Hamas cruelly sent back the wrong body for one hostage.
The group is also pushing for the release of high-profile terrorists including Marwan Barghouti, despite Israel ruling it out.
They reportedly offered to free the hostages early if Mr Netanyahu agreed to give them Barghouti – but they were refused.
Mr Trump was due to land in Tel Aviv at 7am UK time before his motorcade travelled along the Route 1 Highway to Jerusalem where he was to give a historic address at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
He will also meet families of released hostages before rushing back along the same route to Ben Gurion Airport and departing for a summit in Egypt to discuss the future of Gaza.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced that he will bestow the American leader with the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour – the country’s highest civilian honour. Sir Keir is among world leaders due to attend as the world hopes the uneasy peace will hold.
He will say: ‘We stand determined to seize this opportunity to deliver a lasting peace and a stable, secure future for the whole region … the UK will support the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan, so that people on both sides can rebuild their lives in safety and security.’
But Sir Keir will have bridges to build after Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel rejected Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson’s claim that Britain had played a ‘key role’ in the ceasefire deal.
IDF chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Sunday declared ‘victory’ over Hamas as he praised military pressure and a ‘complementary diplomatic move’ for ending the war.
And defence minister Israel Katz said the IDF has now been instructed to demolish all remaining Hamas tunnels in Gaza.
The terror group has agreed to relinquish all control of the Gaza Strip, a source told the news agency AFP. But yesterday shocking images showed armed gangs engaged in firefights in Gaza City as Hamas reportedly executed rivals in the streets for collaborating with Israel.
At least 27 people were killed in clashes between Hamas and armed militia, the BBC reported on Sunday night.
The 20-point peace plan states that Israel should maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza along the border.
An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside the enclave.
The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 per cent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to the agreed-upon lines.
There are no plans to send British troops to be part of the multinational force that will monitor the truce.
