TEL AVIV—All 20 living hostages were delivered safely home to Israel on Monday morning, freed from the clutches of Hamas terrorists who have been holding them since the October 7, 2023 attack.As Israel celebrated the return, U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to address the Knesset.
Later Monday Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Egypt together to join the Gaza peace summit which will be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. In exchange, Israel will free approximately 2,000 Palestinian terrorist prisoners, including 250 serving long sentences and 1,700 detained during the conflict.
As he entered the Knesset, Trump said Palestinian terrorist group Hamas would comply with a provision under his plan for it to disarm. Speaking to reporters before beginning his speech, Trump replied “yes” when asked whether Gaza’s war was over.
***Follow all of the events on the Breitbart News Live Wire below. All times in Israel Standard Time (IST).***
3:30 PM: Indonesian officials deny claims that Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto will visit Israel tomorrow.
3:14 PM: President Trumps concludes his speech at the Knesset, telling attendees: “I love Israel, I’m with you all the way.”
3:09 PM: President Trump asks Israeli President Herzog to pardon Netanyahu for the corruption charges against him, saying: “Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?”
2:57 PM: President Trump’s criticizes Obama and Biden, calling the Iran Deal nothing short of a disaster.
2:57 PM: President Trump’s delivers powerful plea to Israel’s enemies to join the Abraham Accords.
2:53 PM: Unsurprisingly, President Trump’s speech is getting wall-to-wall coverage on cable news.
2:53 PM: President Trump nails it:
2:37 PM:
2:16 PM: President Trump is now addressing the Knesset, telling lawmakers the U.S.-brokered peace deal is just the end of terror and death, ushering in a “historic dawn” in the Middle East. Trump also said: “This is not only the end of a war, but the end of an age of terror and death, and the beginning of an age of faith and hope.”
Trump also says: “We gather on a day of profound joy and soaring hope, of renewed faith, and above all, a day to give our deepest thanks to the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
2:06 PM: An important point by Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid:
1:55 PM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has nominated President Donald Trump to be the first non-Israeli citizen for the Israel Prize, the country’s highest award, and predicted the president would win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026.
1:25 PM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed President Donald Trump in a speech at the Knesset, saying he is “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
1:19 PM: Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana opened his address with a striking historical comparison, declaring that former President Donald Trump is not merely “another American president,” but a figure of profound significance, a “giant of Jewish history—one for whom we must look back two and a half millennia into the mists of time to find a parallel, in Cyrus the Great.”
1:17 PM: An incredible video from Hostage Square:
1:09 PM: Netanyahu has now canceled his participation in the summit in Egypt, citing the start time of the Jewish holiday, Simchat Torah, which is the celebration of marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle.
1:06 PM: Trump received a standing ovation as he arrived at the Israeli parliament after the historic release of hostages. In excerpts released to the media, Trump will use the Knesset 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.”
1:00 PM:
12:36 PM: Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto will visit Israel tomorrow, marking the first visit of a head of state from Jakarta to the Jewish state, a source tells the Times of Israel.
12:30 PM: Released Israeli hostages Eitan Mor and brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, reunited with their families, were airlifted by the Israeli Air Force from Re’im base to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, where preparations are underway for a potential visit by President Trump to meet the Bermans, the Times of Israel reports.
11:36 AM: Below is a live feed of President Trump’s address at the Knesset:
https://www.youtube.com/live/k4evqTb1YvM
11:13 AM: President Trump arrived at the Knesset, where he was greeted by Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana. The president then signed the Knesset’s guestbook, writing: “This is my great honor — a great and beautiful day. A new beginning.”
11:00 AM: The remaining 13 living hostages have been released by Hamas in Gaza to the Red Cross, an Israeli source told CNN.
10:40 AM: President Trump is en route to Jerusalem, where he will meet with the families of the hostages and deliver an address to Israel’s Knesset. Trump will be the fourth U.S. president to ever speak before the Knesset’s plenum.
10:31 AM: N12News Chief political analyst shared the first image of freed hostage Gali Berman in Israel with IDF soldiers.
10:24 AM: President Trump has landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, where he was warmly greeted on the tarmac by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Trump was also greeted by U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and former senior White House advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who played key roles in securing the U.S.-brokered peace plan.
10:00 AM: The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released the names of seven hostages who were safely returned to Israeli territory, marking a significant development in ongoing regional tensions.The freed individuals are Ohel Alon, Angrest Matan, Berman Gali, Berman Ziv, Gilboa-Dalal Guy, Mor Eitan, and Miran Omri, according to an official statement.
Joel Pollak and Simon Kent contributed to this report.
