The Albany Gazette - Hamas hands over surviving Israeli hostages

In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain for the loss of those who had not survived was palpable.

The releases are part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, with Israel due in return to free nearly 2,000 detainees held in its jails in exchange.

The handover came as Trump arrived in Israel for a lightning visit ahead of a trip to Egypt for a peace summit, having declared the war "over".

"According to information provided by the Red Cross, seven hostages have been transferred into their custody, and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military and security service said.

Citing an Israeli official, the country's public broadcaster later reported the release of 13 other hostages.

Among those gathered on Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Noga shared her pain and joy with AFP.

"I'm torn between emotion and sadness for those who won't be coming back," she said.

Israel has said it does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was due to return the bodies of the 27 hostages who died or were killed in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza conflict.

Among those Israel was due to release in exchange are 250 security detainees, including many convicted of killing Israelis, while about 1,700 were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.

- 'Nothing looked the same' -

On October 7, 2023, militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.

All but 47 of those hostages were freed in earlier truces, with the families of those who have remained in captivity leading lives of constant pain and worry for their loved ones.

In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with much of the territory flattened by war, the road to recovery remains long.

"I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling," 38-year-old Fatima Salem told AFP after she returned to her neighbourhood in Gaza City.

"My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost -- nothing looked the same, even the neighbours' houses were gone.

"Despite the exhaustion and fear, I felt like I was coming back to my safe place. I missed the smell of my home, even if it's now just rubble. We will pitch a tent next to it and wait for reconstruction."

- 'War is over. Okay?' -

Trump's visit to the Middle East aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week's ceasefire and hostage release deal -- but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One at the start of the "very special" visit, Trump brushed off concerns about whether the ceasefire would endure.

"I think it's going to hold. I think people are tired of it. It's been centuries," he said of the fighting.

"The war is over. Okay? You understand that?" the US president added.

In Israel, Trump is due to meet the families of hostages, before addressing the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.

- Final details -

Trump announced in late September a 20-point plan for Gaza, which helped bring about the ceasefire.

Negotiators were still wrangling late Sunday over the final arrangements for the exchanges, with two Hamas sources telling AFP the group was insisting that Israel include seven senior Palestinian leaders on the list of those to be released.

Israel has previously rejected at least one of those names.

After visiting Israel, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders to back his plan to end the Gaza war and promote Middle East peace.

Trump will be looking to resolve some of the huge uncertainty around the next phases of the peace plan -- including Hamas's refusal to disarm and Israel's failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.

Trump insisted he had "guarantees" from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.

Trump also said he would be "proud" to visit Gaza itself, but did not say when such a difficult security challenge would be possible.

A new governing body for devastated Gaza -- which Trump himself would head under his own plan -- would be established "very quickly," he added.

Under the plan, as Israel conducts a partial withdrawal from Gaza, it will be replaced by a multi-national force coordinated by a US-led command centre in Israel.

Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,806 people, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers credible.

The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

(W.Williams--TAG)