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- Which Palestinian prisoners have been released?
- Vincent Durac: Will this be the ceasefire deal that finally ends the war?
- Ceasefire has not ended uncertainty in Gaza
- ‘Gaza is completely destroyed’: Palestinians return to ruins
Hamas has released the names of four hostages whose bodies are being returned to Israel today. They are:
- Guy Illouz
- Yossi Sharabi
- Bipin Joshi
- Daniel Peretz
The US president Donald Trump has boarded Air Force One at Ben Gurion Airport, and is en route to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for the peace summit. He was escorted to his plane by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu who is not travelling to Egypt despite early morning reports that he would also be attending the summit.
US President Donald Trump used his speech to the Knesset to lobby for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to receive a pardon to protect him from his ongoing corruption trial.
“Hey, I have an idea, Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon. Give him a pardon, c’mon,” Trump said to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who was sitting nearby.
Mr Trump said he had not planned to address the issue in his speech but “it just seems to make so much sense. This has been one of the greatest wartime presidents, and cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” he said in an apparent allusion to the prime minister and his bribery allegations. “Alright, enough controversy for the day, right?”
The Israeli prison service has now released 1,968 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in two groups as part of the ceasefire deal. One group was transferred from Ofer prison to other parts of the occupied West Bank while the second group was transferred from Ketziot prison to Kerem Shalom, a border crossing into Gaza. The released Palestinians are now receiving medical care in hospitals in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
President Donald Trump called for “the historic dawn of a new Middle East” in an address to the Israeli parliament, as he visits the region to celebrate a deal halting the war in Gaza and securing the release of prisoners held by Hamas, Bloomberg reports.
“This is not only the end of a war, this is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope,” Mr Trump said in remarks from the Knesset.
Mr Trump used the address to call on Israel to “translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East” while pushing Gazans to focus on “restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development, so they can finally have the better life their children really do deserve.”
The president arrived early Monday in Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the families of hostages captured in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
After the Israel stop, Trump is slated to travel to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where he is expected to meet with leaders from across the world to celebrate the deal that could bring an end to a devastating two-year war that destroyed much of Gaza and inflamed tensions across the region.
Mr Trump devoted a significant portion of his speech to urging cooperation between historic rivals.
“All across the Middle East, the forces of chaos, terror and ruin that have plagued the region for decades now stand weakened, isolated and totally defeated,” Trump said. “A new coalition of proud and responsible nations is emerging.”
That appeal included an address to Iran specifically, with Trump suggesting it would be “great” to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Islamic republic.
“Would you be happy with that? Wouldn’t it be nice?” Trump said, adding that he thought an accord would be “easy.”
Thousands of people have gathered in Khan Yunis to greet buses carrying prisoners released by Israel in exchange for hostages freed by Hamas.
After more than an hour at the podium, Donald Trump’s speech came to an end and he is now going to arrive late for the Egyptian peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
He ended his speech by saying that “from the very first day that modern Israel was founded, we have stood together through thick and thin, setbacks, through victory and defeat, through glory and heartache.
“We have built industries together, we have made discoveries together, we have confronted evil together, and we have waged war together, and perhaps most beautifully of all, we have made peace together.
“And this week, against all odds, we have done the impossible, and brought our hostages home.”
To loud and sustained applause he concluded by saying: “I love Israel, I’m with you all the way.”
“You are a very popular man, you know why? Because you know how to win,” US president Donald Trump tells Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in a speech that is veering frequently off script.
‘Impossible to imagine the level of suffering people in Gaza have experienced for the last two years’
Tánaiste Simon Harris has announced that Ireland will provide an additional €6 million in humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as UN and humanitarian agencies prepare to ramp up aid supplies following the ceasefire.
The €6 million announced today will be allocated to Ireland’s UN partners: €2 million to UNICEF, €2 million to OCHA, €1 million to the World Food Programme, and €1 million to the World Health Organisation.
Today’s contribution brings Ireland’s support for the people of Palestine since October 2023 to more than €89 million, and support in 2025 to over €35 million. There are likely to be further announcements in the coming period in relation to Ireland’s aid commitments in the region.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The blockade on humanitarian aid has resulted in famine and untold horror for people in Gaza. The ceasefire agreement and hostage release offers a ray of hope.
“Our partners are ready to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to people who urgently need it. This contribution of €6 million from Ireland will fund urgent food, medical care and other vital aid. It will bring much-needed relief to people, including children, some of whom have never known anything but this horrific war.
“It is impossible to imagine the level of suffering people in Gaza have experienced for the last two years. Israel must do what it can to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, and the international community must rally behind efforts to save and rebuild lives that have been shattered by this war.”
Mr Trump has hailed an end to a “painful nightmare” after two years of Israel’s war in Gaza.
“From October 7th until this week, Israel has been a nation at war, enduring burdens that only a proud and faithful people could withstand,” he said. “For so many families across this land, it has been years since you’ve known a single day of true peace … The long and painful nightmare is finally over.”
The US president has - jokingly, we think - given out about the length of Benyamin Netanyahu’s speech introducing him and says that the overrun might mean he arrives at the summit in Egypt “quite late”.
“[Joe Biden] was the worst president in the history of our country by far... and Barack Obama was not far behind,” Mr Trump says to a smattering of applause from members of the Knesset. He also suggests “the world is loving Israel again”.
Donald Trump is heaping praise on his team and on his military and on the hardware the US armed forces has at its disposable and calling on individuals to stand and take a bow.
The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Britain is ready to help monitor the Gaza ceasefire.
“We the United Kingdom, stand ready to play our full part,” Mr Starmer said in the Egyptian resort of Sharmel-Sheikh.
“In particular, we stand ready in relation to monitoring the ceasefire and decommissioning Hamas capability and weaponry.”
“Never forget and never again,” Donald Trump says to applause from members of the Israeli parliament.
The “commotion” as we referred to it earlier as it was captured on social media.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he has been deeply moved by the scenes of hostages being released by Hamas.
A bit of commotion in the Knesset with Mr Trump forced to pause his speech as two left wing members of the Israeli parliament are removed by security. “That was very efficient,” the US president says before continuing his address.
Earlier he had asked Benyamin Netanyahu to stand after which he said “he’s not the easiest guy to deal with … But that’s what makes him great”.
He also suggests that “This is not only the end of a war. This is the end of the age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God.
“It’s the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel, and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region. I believe that, so strongly. This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
“Nice place, really nice place,” the US president Donald Trump says as he tells the Israeli Knesset that today is “a day of profound joy and soaring hope.”
“After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families. Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time.”
“The guns are silent,” he says, and says the region is now “at peace” and will hopefully remain so “for eternity”.
Contrary to reports earlier today suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to attend today’s summit in Egypt he will not be there. His office has just released a statement saying he will be unable to take part because of its proximity to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. “The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his efforts to expand the circle of peace - peace through strength,” the statement says.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that on a day that “will be inscribed in history”, US President Donald Trump will be “inscribed in the history of our nation” and the world. “How long we’ve waited for this moment,” he says, “and I want to thank you personally on behalf of the whole nation.”
“Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the State of Israel has ever had in the White House,” Mr Netanyahu says. The remark is met with chants of “Trump” in the chamber.
“Today the Jewish calendar marks the end of two years of war,” Mr Netanyahu continues and pays tribute to Israeli soldiers killed and injured in the conflict. “Because of these heroes, our nation will survive... thrive... and will have peace,” he says.
The applause for the US president Donald Trump and his delegation in the Knesset has been going on for more than 15 minutes at this stage but his address is likely to get underway very shortly.
He plans to hail “the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” according to the White House.
“It is an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace,” the US president will say, according to excerpts that have been released. “Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change.”
Buses carrying Palestinian prisoners have arrived in Ramallah, the Palestinian capital of the occupied West Bank.
The US president Donald Trump has arrived in the Knesset to a standing ovation.
The US delegation has now taken their seats in the Knesset. Among those in attendance are the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and the Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine.
As agreed under the ceasefire agreement, around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be released today, the Palestinian embassy in Ireland has said in a release.
“This total includes 250 prisoners, mostly serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans who have been detained since the start of Israel’s genocide in October 2023,” the statement says.
It notes that since Friday, “hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian citizens have begun returning - on foot - to what remains of their homes in Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, navigating through the rubble and devastation left behind by the two-year Israeli genocide.”
It adds that “approximately 1.5 million Palestinians lost their homes” with as many as 80 per cent of the population homeless.
“The Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation’s four distribution centers have ceased operations, although there has been no official announcement from Israel regarding this,” the statement continued adding that 2,605 Palestinians seeking aid at GHF distribution s were killed with around 20,000 injured.
It added that over 500,000 Palestinian workers have been unemployed for more than two years with the conflict causing economic losses exceeding $9 billion.
The names of the final 13 hostages to be freed by Hamas have been released.
- Elkana Bohbot
- Avinatan Or
- Yosef-Chaim Ohana
- Evyatar David
- Rom Braslabski
- Segev Kalfon
- Maxim Herkin
- Bar Kupershtein
- Eitan Horn
- Ariel Cunio
- David Cunio
- Matan Zangauker
- Nimrod Cohen
The US president has yet to begin his speech to the Knesset but some of what he is going to say has been released to the news wires.
“The total focus of Gazans must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development… From Gaza to Iran those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery suffering and failure… 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... Even to Iran, whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East, the hand of friendship and co-operation is always open."
“This is my great honour - A great and beautiful day. A new beginning,” is how US president Donald Trump signed the visitor book at the Knesset this morning.
Israel on Monday is releasing more than 1,700 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli captives held by Hamas. There are more than 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli detention, according to the Israel Prison Service, of whom 87 per cent have never been charged or convicted.
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya: released
The most high-profile of the freed Palestinians is Dr Hussam Abu Safiya who was arrested in December 2024 by Israeli forces during a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, after he refused to abandon patients when ordered to evacuate.
Israel claimed the hospital was a Hamas command centre and Dr Safiya was suspected of being a member of the movement. He was originally slated to remain in prison, but the Israelis appear to have had a change of mind.
Mahmoud Qawasmeh: released
Mahmoud Qawasmeh, a senior Hamas member who was freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange. He was detained in 2024 for allegedly planning the 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.
Iyad Abu al Rub: released
West Bank Islamic Jihad commander Iyad Abu al Rub was sentenced for plotting suicide bombings in Israel that killed 13 between 2003 and 2005.
Imad Qawasmeh: released
Imad Qawasmeh, a local Hamas leader who was imprisoned for directing a double suicide bombing that killed 16 Israelis in 2004 and sente4nced to 16 life terms in prison.
Morad Bader Abdullah Adais: released
Morad Bader Abdullah Adais who was convicted of stabbing to death an Israeli woman in 2016.
Fatah’s Bilal Ajarmeh who was arrested in 2003 and convicted of 17 shooting attacks along a highway in Israel.
Hilmi Abdul Karim Muhammad Hammash was sentenced for coordinating the 2004 Jerusalem Street bus suicide bombing that killed 11 and wounded 50 Israelis.
Fatah member Ismail Hamdan who was imprisoned for the 2002 kidnapping and shooting death of an Israeli and Hamas militant Mohammad Nasser Sha’aban Abu Rabea who has been serving a life sentence for the 2015 stabbing death of two Israeli civilians.
Marwan Barghouti: Not released
Among the prisoners Israel has refused to release are one of the most high-profile figures is Marwan Barghouti. A supporter of the Oslo peace process and a member of the Palestinian legislative council, Fatah’s Barghouti led street protests against the Israeli occupation during the second intifada (2000-2005) until he was arrested in 2002. He was convicted and sentenced to life for attacks that killed five Israelis despite his denial. He challenged the legitimacy of the trial and the Interparliamentary Union argued the evidence used to convict him was not credible. If freed, blameless Barghouti could challenge the current Fatah leadership under Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. Fatah has been accused of mismanagement, corruption and collaborating with Israeli security.
Ahmed Sa’adat Not released
Leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Sa’adat was sentenced to 30 years after being convicted in 2008 of heading an “illegal terrorist organisation” and involvement in multiple attacks, including the assassination of Israeli minister Ravahim Ze’evi in 2001 in retaliation for Israel’s killing of the PFLP chief Abu Ali Mustafa who had been given permission by Israel to live in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh near Ramallah. Sa’adat has abandoned the “two-state solution” for the emergence of a Palestinian state alongside Israel and supports “one state” for both peoples, the so-called “democratic state” option.
Also remaining in Israeli custody are Hamas’s West Bank chief Ibrahim Hamed, sentenced to 45 life terms for orchestrating the killings of Israelis during the second intifada; Abbas al-Sayed, who plotted the 2002 bombing which killed 39 Israelis at the Park Hotel in Netanya; and Hamas’s Hassan Salameh, who is serving 48 life terms for several suicide bombings.
Some more images from Israel and Gaza as 20 hostages are released by Hamas and more than 1,700 prisoners held by Israel are set to be freed.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the summit in Egypt later today, media there is reporting He spoke with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi by phone earlier today.
MPs are continuing to gather in the Knesset ahead of US President Donal Trump’s address which is due to being shortly.
The Israeli military has confirmed that the second group of living Israeli hostages has been transferred to the Red Cross.
The US president Donald Trump has said Hamas will comply with a plan to disarm, as he arrived at Israel’s parliament to deliver an address. Speaking to reporters before beginning his speech, Mr Trump replied “yes” when asked whether the war was over.
The second group of Israeli hostages has now been handed over to the Red Cross, meaning all 20 of those who had been held captive by Hamas for more than two years have been freed. Their release came just under one hour ahead of the deadline set as part of the ceasefire deal.
Israeli media is now reporting that buses carrying Palestinian detainees have left a prison in southern Israel.
Donald Trump is due to speak at the Knesset shortly but before he left Air Force One he spoke to reporters and was keen to highlight his role in the Gaza deal. “Everybody is happy, whether it’s Jewish or Muslim or the Arab countries. Every country is dancing in the streets,” he said.
Hamas deployed fighters in Gaza this morning, with Reuters footage showing dozens lined up at a hospital in southern Gaza, and an armed man wearing the insignia of the Hamas armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. His shoulder patch identified him as a member of the elite “Shadow Unit”, which Hamas sources say was tasked with guarding hostages.
Israeli media is reporting that a second group of 13 hostages has been handed over to the Red Cross in southern Gaza and is now on its way back to Israel.
The IDF has confirmed that the first seven of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas. The group were handed over to the Red Cross ahead of being reunited with their families by the Israeli military at the Re’im reception point near the Gaza border. They were named by as Matan Engerst, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Alon Ohel, Gali and Zivi Berman, Eitan Mor and Omari Moran.
The Project Coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières in Gaza Caroline Willemen has been speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland.
“There are food items in the market but the poorest people still cannot access those and in our health centres we continue to diagnose children with both moderate and severe/ acute malnutrition. “These are the basic issues,” she said, “but we also urgently need to see health centres urgently scaled back up especially as people return to the North.”
As we have reported, a second Red Cross convoy is on the move in Gaza heading to an agreed hostage pick-up point with the deadline for the return of the remaining 13 people being held by Hamas set at 10am Irish time.
In addition to the release of Israeli hostages, 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, including 22 children is takingplace with Israeli media reports suggesting prisoners are getting ready to leave Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The European Union’s head of foreign policy Kaja Kallas the EU is getting ready to resume its monitoring mission at the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt,
“Securing peace in Gaza will be extraordinarily complex,” she said in a post on X. “The EU stands ready to do its part. On Wednesday, it will restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.”
Not long before he touched down in Israel US President Donald Trump said he would be “proud” to visit Gaza at some point in the future.
“I know it so well without visiting,” he says. “I’d like to do it, I’d like to put my feet on it at least.”
“But I think it’s going to be a great miracle over the coming decades. If you go too fast, it’s not going to be good. You have to go at the right speed, you can’t go too fast.”
Red Cross to receive more hostages in Gaza
The Israeli military has said the Red Cross is on its way to another meeting point in Gaza to receive more hostages.
Seven hostages have been released so far, and are back on Israeli territory. Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has until 10am Irish time to hand over 13 more living hostages.
‘Victory lap’: Donald Trump arrives in Israel
US president Donald Trump has arrived in Israel, where he is due to meet families of hostages and speak at the Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
His arrival is widely seen as a victory lap after he helped pressure both Israel and Hamas into agreeing to a ceasefire deal.
After several hours he will travel to Egypt for a peace summit with world leaders and an official signing ceremony of the first phase of his Gaza peace deal.
Simon Harris: ‘Today is a major step forward for peace’
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has described today’s developments as a “major step forward for peace and a day no doubt many families who had loved ones taken hostage feared would never come.”
“We think of all the hostages this morning and their families as they are reunited. No peace plan is perfect. Such a thing does not exist. We know that from our own complex history, but we also know how even the most complex conflicts and wars can end if everyone commits to peace and political pathways,” he said.
“For our part, we in Ireland remain ready to assist in any way we can. We are already assisting through the provision of humanitarian aid to a starving people in Gaza.”
He said he has directed officials to prepare for Ireland to do more in this area and to work closely with international partners and agencies on the ground to “help in every way we can”.
“Today, after more than two years of horror, pain and unimaginable loss of life, there is a ray of hope,” he said.
Mother of hostage: ‘I am full of happiness’
“I am on my way to Reim to see my son Nimrod after two years,” said Viki Cohen, from a vehicle en route to see her son. “I am so excited. I am full of happiness. It’s hard to imagine how I feel this moment. I didn’t sleep all night.”
Ms Cohen’s son Nimrod was 19 years old and performing his military service when he was kidnapped from an Israeli tank on October 7th, 2023.
“Thank you to all the people here in Israel and around the world that fought with us for this moment,” she added.
In pictures: scenes from Gaza
In pictures: Israelis celebrate the release of hostages
First hostages handed over to the Israeli military
The Red Cross has now transferred the first Israeli hostages to the military, local media have reported, and are they due to be reunited with their families shortly.
Meanwhile, Palestinian detainees - due to released from Israeli prisons in exchange - are boarding buses bound for the West Bank and Gaza.
First Palestinian detainees board buses at Israeli prisons
Almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees, due to be released on Monday, have now boarded buses, official involved in the operation have said.
Of those, 250 are due to be released to the West Bank, Jerusalem and other countries, while more than 1,700 are expected to be released at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital.
What happens now that hostages are being handed over?
The release of hostages has started. The Red Cross will take them to Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza and transfer them over to Israeli forces. What happens next?
-They will be taken to a military base - Re’im base in southern Israel - where they will be reunited with their families;
-Hostages who need medical attention will be taken to medics “immediately”, with ambulances on stand-by;
-Once with their families, they will be taken for check-ups to one of three main hospitals in the area
First seven hostages transferred
The first Israeli hostages have been transferred, an Israel official has said.
They were been transferred over to the Red Cross in Gaza, according to reports in Hebrew media.
Reports say the seven are:
Gali Berman; Ziv Berman; Matan Angrest; Alon Ohel; Omri Miran; Eitan Mor; Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
The announcement was met with a cheer by crowds in Hostages Square.
Trump: ‘The war is over’
US president Donald Trump has declared the war in Gaza is, in response to questions from reporters aboard Air Force One.
En route to Israel, Mr Trump said the ceasefire is going to hold and a new interim administrative body will be set up quickly.
“The war is over, you understand that,” he said.
His comments come just days into a ceasefire and after during the initial phase of his 20-point peace plan.
Mr Trump also praised Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and said he did a “good job”.
Red Cross arrives at first hostage release location
Israeli media are reporting that Red Cross vehicles have arrived at the first hostage release location in Gaza.
The first Israeli hostages are to be handed over to the Red Cross under the first phase of the Gaza peace plan shortly.
The Red Cross says it has started a “multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
What happens next?
Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas is due by 10am Irish times on Monday to release the remaining hostages, taken captive on October 7th, 2023, when the group’s militants launched the surprise attack on Israel that ignited the war.
Israeli media reported that the release of the hostages is expected to begin from Netzarim Corridor at 6am (0500 GMT) and to continue at 10am in Gaza’s Khan Younis.
Their release is to be followed later by the handover of bodies of the remaining 28 deceased hostages.
Israel is also to release 1,700 Palestinians who have been detained in Gaza since the war began, and 22 Palestinian minors, along with the bodies of 360 militants.
The prisoners are scheduled to be released once the living hostages reach Israeli territory.
Hamas provides names of 20 hostages to be released
Hamas has just published the names of the 20 Israeli hostages to be released under the first phase of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The names listed are: Bar Abraham Kupershtein, Evyatar David, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Angrest, Matan Zangauker, Eitan Horn, Eitan Abraham Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Rom Braslavski, Ariel Cunio and David Cunio.
You can read more about them here.
