live Hamas hands over all remaining hostages to Israel, Trump says Gaza war over

Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages on 13 October under a ceasefire deal, a major step towards ending two years of shattering war in Gaza as U.S. President Donald Trump, who helped broker the truce, proclaimed "a new beginning".

The Israeli military said it had received all hostages confirmed to be alive after their transfer from Gaza by the Red Cross, prompting cheering, hugging and weeping among thousands waiting at "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv.

Buses carrying released Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons as part of the accord also arrived in Gaza, an official involved in the operation told Reuters.

"This is a great day. This is a new beginning," Trump said after arriving to a hero's welcome in Israel where he was addressing the Knesset before flying on to Egypt for a summit aimed at building conditions for a lasting peace in Gaza.

Asked if the two-year Gaza war was over, he said: "Yes."

Initial photographs of six of the freed Israeli hostages distributed by the Israeli military showed them standing, some smiling and talking with soldiers who were receiving them.

"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," said Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, as she travelled to Reim, an Israeli military camp where the hostages were being transferred. 

In Gaza, about a dozen masked and black-clad gunmen, apparently members of Hamas' armed wing, arrived at Nasser Hospital where a stage and chairs had been laid out to welcome returning Palestinian prisoners. 

"I hope that these images can be the end to this war. We lost friends and relatives, we lost our houses and our city," said Emad Abu Joudat, 57, a Palestinian father. 

The release of hostages and a concurrent freeing of Palestinian detainees form a critical aspect of the first phase of the ceasefire accord concluded last week in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where Monday's summit will take place.

However, much could still go wrong with further steps on which previous truce efforts faltered yet to be agreed. Those include how the tiny, densely populated coastal territory will be governed once fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas.

Hamas killed 32 members of what it called a "gang" in Gaza City during a security campaign launched after the ceasefire, a Palestinian security source said on Monday.

As he entered the Israeli Knesset (parliament), Trump said Palestinian militant group Hamas would comply with a provision under his plan for it to disarm.

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Hamas IsraelHostages CeasefireAgreement MiddleEastConflict PalestinianNews