The living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of President Donald Trump’s peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas war . As part of the deal, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and an additional 1,700 Gazans detained after Oct. 7, 2023.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed just before midday local time that 20 living hostages had all been handed over to Israeli authorities at a meeting point on the northern border of Gaza. The remains of 28 others are believed to still be in Gaza.

The coordinated operation, dubbed Operation Returning Home, began early Monday when the first group of seven hostages was transferred to IDF and Shin Bet custody around 9:20 a.m. local time (2:20 a.m. ET), followed by the remaining 13 severa

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