Buses with Palestinians have left the Israeli military prisons Ofer and Ketziot and rolled towards the West Bank and Gaza. They are welcomed by cheering crowds after undergoing examinations at hospitals, writes AP.
More than 150 released Palestinians who were deported by Israel have also landed in Egypt, according to the news agency.
Israel has released nearly 2,000 prisoners in accordance with the peace agreement – 250 life sentenced and around 1,700 people who were deprived of their freedom in Gaza during the two-year war.
Accuses Hamas
Earlier on Monday, all 20 of Hamas' hostages who are alive were released after two years of captivity. The remains of the remaining 28 dead hostages will also be handed over as part of the US peace agreement.
Hamas has, according to several media outlets, stated that they do not know where all the dead are, and on Monday, only the remains of four people were handed over to the Red Cross for further transport to Israel, reports AFP.
This is criticized by a relatives' organization and the Israeli military, which accuses Hamas of breaking the peace agreement.
We will not rest until all are returned to their families and buried in Israel, says army spokesperson Effie Defrin according to The Times of Israel.
Celebration in Tel Aviv
Despite this, scenes of joy are unfolding at what is called the "hostage square" in Tel Aviv when it becomes clear that the living hostages will be reunited with their families. Live broadcasts show how people – many tearful, some laughing – cheer and hold up Israeli flags and portraits of the hostages.
The first seven were handed over early on Monday to Israel's military via the Red Cross and are on Israeli soil. The remaining 13 were picked up in Gaza a few hours later.
In total, 251 people were taken hostage by terrorist-stamped Hamas in the October 7 attack in 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, but some have been released earlier.
US President Donald Trump visited Israel on Monday, where he, in a speech in parliament, praised the ceasefire as a "triumph for Israel and the world". He later flew on to Egypt for a summit on the next steps in the peace agreement on the Gaza war.
Neither Israel nor Hamas is expected to participate in the summit.
The war in Gaza broke out after terrorist-stamped Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Over 1,100 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.
Approximately 140 of the hostages have previously been released alive through negotiations, and eight have been rescued by Israel's military, according to the news agency AP's compilation. On Monday, October 13, 2025, the remaining 20 living hostages have been returned to Israel as a result of the ceasefire agreement.
According to the agreement, Israel will in turn release nearly 1,900 Palestinians who have been held as prisoners by Israel.
Israel's bombings have killed over 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled area's health department, whose figures are often cited by UN agencies and international organizations.
In the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, a trial has been ongoing since December 2023, in which South Africa accuses Israel of genocide.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued international arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and now deceased leaders within Hamas. The charges concern war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Source: ICJ, AP, UN
