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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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All 20 living hostages have been released from Gaza, Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Israeli military said on Monday, as President Donald Trump touched down in Israel to address the country's parliament.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early on Monday that the first living hostages had crossed into Israel and were on their way to meet with their families in the south of the country under "Operation Returning Home."
In a later statement, the IDF said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had informed Israeli authorities another 13 hostages were in their custody and heading for IDF troops.
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All hostages were transferred by Hamas to the ICRC, which transported them to the Israeli military. The released hostages were then due to travel to the Rei'm military base in the south of Israel to reunite with their loved ones. Those in need of urgent medical care will head straight for hospitals.
The remains of another 28 hostages will be returned to Israel under the first phase of a deal brokered by the Trump administration. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday it was preparing to receive freed Palestinian prisoners at the Nasser hospital in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis.
Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans who were detained after the October 7, 2023 attacks.
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This month marked two years since the October 7 attacks, when militants led by Palestinian group Hamas crossed into southern Israel and killed roughly 1,200 people and deeply scarred Israeli society. Another 251 were taken as hostages into the strip.
Israel then launched its war on the strip, which has been devastated by fierce bombardment and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground operations. Hamas health authorities in Gaza say more than 67,000 people have been killed in the territory since October 7, 2023. This figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians and is disputed by Israeli officials, but is widely cited by Western sources.
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Who Has Been Released By Hamas in The First Wave?
Matan Angrest
22-year-old Matan Angrest is from Kiryat Bialik, close to the northern Israeli city of Haifa, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the loved ones of the hostages.
The Forum described Matan, a tank driver in the Israeli military, as an "outstanding student who became an outstanding soldier," and said he loves to spend time with his family, including his brothers, listen to music, work out and play Sony games.
Israeli media reported he was taken from his tank in Nahal Oz on October 7, an Israeli kibbutz right on the border with northern Gaza. The bodies of the other members of his tank unit were also taken into Gaza, according to domestic media. Matan's family said they had received multiple videos of Matan in Gaza, including clips that showed injuries doctors said were "irreversible."
In a statement on Monday, his family said: "Our beloved boy has been returned to us after two complex years, and we are so proud of him. We admire his strength, we cannot stop hugging him, and we are already planning with him his return to the green bleachers."
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Alon Ohel
Alon Ohel, 24, who was taken from the Nova music festival, is from northern Israel and is a "happy, cheerful, and beloved young man who is always surrounded by good friends," according to the Forum. He took up playing the piano as a child and became "gifted," developing a "unique style inspired by classical and jazz music," the Forum said.
Alon's mother, Idit Ohel, said she and Alon's father had seen images of their son on Monday and that he was "standing on his own two feet." Alon was "smiling," his father, Kobi Ohel, said in remarks reported by Israeli media.
Alon appeared in two videos released by Hamas last month, the first alongside fellow hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal, who was also taken from the Nova festival in 2023. Alon's family said after seeing the second video that it was "clear that Alon is losing vision in his right eye, and he appears emaciated and terrified."
Guy Gilboa Dalal
Guy Gilboa Dalal is also 24 and was taken from the Nova music festival. In the Hamas video released in September, dated in late August, he told the camera he was in Gaza City shortly before Israel started a new offensive on the city.
He had previously appeared in a video with another hostage, Evyatar David, in February.
The Forum said Guy had learned Japanese in the hope of traveling to Japan, and is a "people person."
"The sukkah that he promised to dismantle with his father after the Nova festival he went to, two years ago, is still waiting for him in the yard," the Forum said. A sukkah is a temporary construction for the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
Eitan Mor
25-year-old Eitan Mor was taken from the Nova festival, and is an avid fan of karaoke and coffee, according to the Forum. An "optimistic guy who always lifts up those around him," he is the oldest sibling and has not yet met his nephew, the Forum said.
Zvika Mor, Eitan's father, told Israeli army radio his son would understand his long-held opposition to previous deals that would have secured an end to fighting in Gaza and the release of the hostages. "My son trusts me completely, and he’ll say so himself," he said in comment reported by Israeli media.
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Ziv Berman
Ziv Berman, known to his friends as Zivi, was taken by Hamas from his home on the Gaza border, close to where his twin brother, Gali, was also kidnapped on October 7. The 28-year-old "always makes sure to mention that they are twins, but he was born first," the Forum said. He is an "ardent fan" of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team, as well as British team Liverpool.
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Gali Berman
Ziv's twin, Gali, was taken from fellow hostage Emily Damari's house in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, bordering northern Gaza. Emily was released in an exchange in January this year.
Both brothers are sound and light technicians who love to travel, the Forum said, describing Gali as "a loyal friend who will always come to support anyone in need."
Omri Miran
Omri Miran, 48, was taken from Nahal Oz. Omri, who has a therapy studio and works in construction, is "a devoted father to Roni and Alma who have been waiting far too long for his hug" and is "the heart of his community," the Forum said.
"Omri is known for his love of sports, his easy smile, and the quiet strength that makes everyone around him feel at peace," the Forum said.
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Who Was Released In the Second Group?
The hostages that were released in the second batch were:
Bar Kupershtein
Evyatar David
Yosef-Chaim Ohana
Segev Kalfon
Avinatan Or
Elkana Bohbot
Maxim Herkim
Nimrod Cohen
Matan Zangauker
David Cunio
Ariel Cunio
Rom Braslabski
Eitan Horn
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