Red Cross Begins Mission to Retrieve Israeli Hostages as Gaza Ceasefire Takes Effect

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched an operation in the Gaza Strip to retrieve the first 20 surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas, marking the initial phase of a landmark ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel is expected to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners on Monday, while the handover of 28 other Israeli hostages — including 26 deceased and two whose status remains uncertain — will follow.

According to officials, Red Cross convoys have already reached the designated collection points in Gaza to facilitate the transfer. Once secured, the hostages will be handed over to Israeli security forces, who will escort them into Israel for medical assessments and reunions with their families before being airlifted to hospitals in central Israel.

In Israel, citizens gathered near Reim military base — one of the main reception points for the hostages — waving flags and cheering in anticipation of their return. In Tel Aviv, hundreds assembled at Hostages Square, holding posters and chanting for peace and unity.

Meanwhile, Reuters footage showed masked Hamas gunmen gathering outside Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, one of the key locations for the handover process, as ambulances and Red Cross vehicles stood ready to transport both released hostages and freed Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire and exchange come after two years of intense conflict that escalated into a regional crisis involving Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, reshaping political alliances across the Middle East. “The war is over,” President Trump declared aboard Air Force One en route to Israel, adding, “I think it’s going to normalise.”

Trump is expected to receive a hero’s welcome when he addresses Israel’s parliament later today. President Isaac Herzog has announced that Trump will be honoured with Israel’s highest civilian award later this year.

The conflict traces back to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory strikes devastated Gaza, killing more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

A summit of more than 20 world leaders, led by Trump in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort, is set to discuss the next phase of peace efforts — including governance of post-war Gaza and the future of Hamas. While optimism surrounds the ceasefire, key elements of the 20-point peace plan remain unresolved, leaving the path to lasting stability uncertain.