Return of Hostages Marks Significant Moment
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara expressed heartfelt welcome messages to the hostages released on Monday after more than two years in Hamas captivity.
The note, written in Hebrew, conveyed their support: “In the name of God, People of Israel! We love you! We support you and are with you. Sarah and Benjamin Netanyahu.”
The welcome kit for the hostages included clothing, along with a laptop, a cellphone, and a tablet.
Netanyahu and Sara were seen at the airport with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, as they awaited former President Trump’s arrival.
Trump touched down at Ben Gurion Airport around 9:43 a.m., coinciding with the first group of seven hostages entering Israel. The Red Cross is expected to facilitate the release of the remaining 13 hostages soon.
The president emerged from Air Force One to a military band celebrating his arrival. He raised his fist to the crowd before stepping down the stairs.
Following his arrival, Trump greeted Israeli President Isaac Herzog and shared a friendly moment with Netanyahu before meeting U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Israeli Special Envoy Echiel Reiter. Netanyahu then left with them to head to the parliament in Jerusalem.
Recently, the U.S. administration, under Trump, facilitated a historic peace agreement that led to Hamas agreeing to release 20 surviving hostages and the remains of 28 others. These individuals had been held as prisoners of war for over two difficult years after being abducted during Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel are set to be released in the initial phase.
