Gaza hostage release as it happened: Hamas releases 20 living hostages taken during October 7 attacks; Trump calls for Netanyahu to be pardoned on corruption charges in Israeli parliament address

This is where we will wrap up our live coverage of today’s events in the Middle East.

Here’s what you need to know as the local time hits 8am in Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip:

• All 20 returned Israeli hostages have now been reunited with their families. The Jerusalem Post reported the men were suffering conditions ranging from mineral deficiency and stomach pain to potential vision loss from shrapnel injuries.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it had facilitated the return of 1809 Palestinian detainees to Gaza and the West Bank. It did not say where the remaining 160 Palestinians went, but Israel has said many Palestinians who had been serving life sentences would be exiled.
• Donald Trump has returned to Washington after his rapid two-day tour of the Middle East, where he delivered a speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and signed a peace deal alongside other world leaders in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh. But as US correspondent Michael Koziol reports, cracks are already appearing in Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal.

Thank you for following along with our coverage today.

Good morning, and thank you for joining our continuing live coverage of the hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

All 20 living hostages held by Hamas and thousands of Palestinians held by Israel walked free on Monday as part of a ceasefire, pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. The freed hostages were the last still alive in captivity from 251 seized in the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, that killed 1200 people and triggered the war.

Here’s a recap of yesterday’s key moments:

• The release of the hostages began just after 8am local time (4pm AEDT). The first seven hostages were transferred by Hamas into the care of Red Cross personnel, then handed over to the Israeli military.
• The second cohort of 13 surviving hostages was delivered about two hours later, while the released Palestinians boarded buses at Israeli prisons.
• Speaking to the Knesset, US President Donald Trump said Israel had entered a “golden” age, and had triumphed with the use of US weapons, but also hinted at tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the drawn-out nature of the conflict.
• Trump also used his time at the podium to urge Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges.
• The US president arrived in the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh about an hour before sundown for the gathering of more than 20 world leaders for a peace summit.

with AP, Reuters

The Israeli military says the bodies of four hostages have been sent for identification at Israel’s national forensic institute in Tel Aviv.

Hamas still holds the bodies of 24 deceased hostages, Israel says. It’s unclear when they will be returned, as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

With AP

The United Nations has pledged an additional $US11 million ($17 million) in aid to the Gaza Strip as Palestinians return to homes obliterated by bombs and lacking basic services heading into winter.

The money, additional to the $9 million previously pledged, will keep essential infrastructure running, and fund food, water, shelter and health services in the territory, UN emergency relief co-ordinator Tom Fletcher said in a statement on X.

Trump has welcomed former US president Bill Clinton’s praise for his efforts in negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying he thought his predecessor’s remarks were “very nice”.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington, Trump said he had always liked Clinton, noting he, along with “she” – seemingly a reference to Hillary Clinton, who he defeated in the 2016 presidential election – attended his wedding.

“I’ve always liked Bill Clinton, I’ve always gotten along with him, he used to be a friend of mine,” Trump said.

“I thought it was very nice actually, and what is he doing, he’s telling the truth, because nobody else has been able to do [this].”

Clinton took to social media to praise Trump hours ago, saying he and his administration, Qatar, and “other regional actors” deserved “great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached.

“Now Israel and Hamas – with the support of the United States, the region, and the world – must try to turn this fragile moment into lasting peace that provides for the dignity and security of both Palestinians and Israelis,” Clinton said.

In his speech in Israel, Trump cited the Abraham Accords seven times, the agreements from his first term that normalised diplomatic relationships between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. Trump has long wanted to expand the accords to more nations, a goal pursued between Israel and Saudi Arabia before the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Underscoring the lasting tensions that will be difficult to shake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at one point balked at joining the summit in Egypt over the possible attendance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government Erdogan has accused of genocide. In the end, Netanyahu didn’t attend because of a Jewish holiday.

Trump repeatedly gushed over Erdogan during and after Monday’s summit.

“I don’t get along with the weak ones. I get along with the tough ones. I don’t know what that is, but Erdogan has been great with me,” the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One en route back to Washington.

“You know, when NATO has a problem with Erdogan, which they often do, they call me to talk to him, and I’ve never failed in working it out, like, immediately.”

Bloomberg

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, described watching the Israeli hostages reunite with their families as one of the “most beautiful moments” of his life.

“This is one for the ages,” he told Nine’s Today program this morning.

“When you consider all the despair and the misery, everything that’s happened in the last two years … to then watch the footage of these reunions … it’s such a beautiful thing.”

Ryvchin said despite the moment being bittersweet, considering 28 hostages will be returned dead, it was important for people to focus on the joy.

“But at the same time, you have to find joy, you have to celebrate. And this is really a historic moment that I think will live with the Jewish people forever. I don’t think we’ll ever forget this day,” he said.

“When you see families reunited that way, it’s a victory for life. It’s a victory for love. It shows the best of humanity, and it’s something to be embraced and held on to. No matter what tomorrow brings.”

Former US president Joe Biden has taken to social media to express his relief over the release of the remaining hostages and the end of the conflict, making a point to credit the efforts of his successor, Donald Trump.

“I am deeply grateful and relieved that this day has come – for the last living 20 hostages who have been through unimaginable hell and are finally reunited with their families and loved ones, and for the civilians in Gaza who have experienced immeasurable loss and will finally get the chance to rebuild their lives,” he wrote.

The former president cited the difficulty of the negotiations before sharing a rare commendation for his political rival.

“The road to this deal was not easy. My administration worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians, and end the war. I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.”

Biden said he hopes that the Middle East is now on a clear path to enduring peace for both Israelis and Palestinians, ensuring they have “equal measures of peace, dignity, and safety.”