Trump hails ‘new dawn’ for Middle East before address to Israeli MPs is heckled as Gaza

Donald Trump called an agreement that brought about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages held by Hamas a triumph as he thanked mediators from the Arab and Muslim world.

Speaking in the Knesset, Trump said:

Let me also convey my tremendous appreciation for all of the nations of the Arab and Muslim world that came together to press Hamas to set the hostages free and to send them home.

We had a lot of help, we had a lot of help from a lot of people that you wouldn’t suspect, and I want to thank them very much for that. It’s an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace.

President Donald Trump trumpeted the dawn of a ‘new Middle East’ during a speech before the Israeli parliament on Monday, just over two years after Hamas militants invaded Israel and sparked a harrowing war in Gaza that wiped out about 67,000 of its population.

‘It will be the golden age of Israel and the golden age of the Middle East,’ Trump told the Knesset.

‘This is not only the end of a war. This is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God.’

Early Monday morning as Trump arrived in Israel, the 20 living Israeli hostages were released to Israeli forces and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were delivered by the busload to the West Bank.

For the first time in two years, Hamas no longer has any Israeli captives. Over 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will also be set free as part of the deal.

Read more by our reporter Jon Michael Raasch here:

Trump’s speech was briefly interrupted in the Knesset as security officials dragged people out of the parliament and snatched banners.

Trump was heckled by two left-wing members of Israel’s parliament before they were intercepted.

Ofer Cassif was bundled out by security after a loud noise and shouts towards Trump and Ayman Odeh, 50, was also removed from the chamber.

The politicians are from the same Hadash alliance political group.

The US president was briefly silent before saying ‘that was efficient’.

Donald Trump has declared today marks the start of an ‘historic dawn of a new Middle East’ in his opening remarks at the Knesset.

The US President said today was not only the end of a war but an end to an ‘age of terror and death’ and the start of a ‘grand concord of lasting humanity’.

After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families. Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time.

Trump then singled out Benjamin Netanyahu for his leadership, telling the Knesset:

He’s not easy but that’s what makes him great. Thanks Bibi, great job.

Donald Trump will now start his address to the Knesset.

Released Israeli hostage Matan Angrest is seen waving after he arrives on to the helipad of the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Hostages are being airlifted to Israeli hospitals from the Re’im military base where they were reunited with families after leaving Gaza.

The helicopters flew over Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square where Israelis have been celebrating their release.

Benjamin Netanyahu has conceded Israel has paid a ‘high price’ for its war on Hamas but added the terror group’s attack on October 7 two years ago was a ‘catastrophic mistake’.

Speaking in the Knesset, Netanyahu said:

Our enemies now understand just how powerful and just how determined Israel is. They understand that attacking Israel on October 7 was a catastrophic mistake,” he says, still speaking at the Knesset.

They understand that Israel is strong and that Israel is here to stay.

The Israeli Prime Minister said the return of the hostages more than two years on from the attacks marked a ‘momentous day’.

At the beginning of the war, I promised to bring all the hostages home. Today, with the indispensable help, the determined and focused help, the unremitting help of President Trump, and with the incredible sacrifice and courage of the soldiers of Israel, we are fulfilling that promise.

Sir Keir Starmer has released a statement calling on world leaders to implement Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza in Egypt later today.

Here is the Prime Minister’s statement below:

Benjamin Netanyahu has described Donald Trump as the ‘greatest friend that the State of Israel has ever had in the White House’ as he delivered his address to the Knesset.

No American president has ever done more for the state of Israel, and as I said in Washington, it ain’t even close.

Netanyahu said Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza is ‘pivotal’ to securing peace across the Middle East.

I’m committed to this peace, you are committed to this peace, and together we will achieve this peace.

We can now show you footage of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohani praising Donald Trump as the US President was welcome into Israel’s parliament.

Mr Ohani described Trump as a ‘colussus’ and ‘giant of Jewish history’ before telling the room that the world ‘needs more Trumps’.

Israel will rally behind nominating Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize next year, the Knesset speaker has told parliament.

Trump has repeatedly talked up receiving the honour which was awarded to Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado on Friday.

In less than 9 months, you became one of the most consequential Presidents in history.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has lavished Donald Trump after welcoming him to the Knesset, describing the American president as a ‘giant of Jewish history’.

In his remarks, Mr Ohana said:

You, President Donald J. Trump, are a colossus who will be enshrined in the pantheon of history. The people of Israel will remember you. we are a nation that remembers.

He later added, ‘the world needs more Trumps.’

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled his visit to Egypt today for a peace summit on Gaza.

According to Israeli broadcaster Kan, Mr Netanyahu decided against accompanying Donald Trump to Sharm El-Sheikh to meet world leaders because the event was too close to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

In a statement, the Israeli prime minister’s office said:

The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his efforts to expand the circle of peace – peace through strength.

An Egyptian presidential spokesperson earlier said both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu were expected to join the summit ‘to solidify the agreement to end the war in Gaza and reaffirm their commitment to it.’

Palestinian men have been pictured flashing the peace sign from inside a bus after being released from the Ofer military prison located between Ramallah and Beitunia in the occupied West Bank.

Buses carrying detainees have now crossed the border in Ramallah after all 20 living hostages were released from Gaza earlier today.

Huge crowds of people gathered to welcome the prisoners, with many chanting ‘Allahu akbar’, or God is greatest, in celebration.

Members of Donald Trump’s cabinet and his daughter Ivanka are among those in the Knesset to watch his address to the Israeli parliament.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secrertary Pete Hegseth are among those in the public gallery.

Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner have also taken their seats in Jerusalem.

Donald Trump has entered the Knesset and is about to make his address.

The US President received a standing ovation as he took his position in Israel’s parliament next to the speaker.

Donald Trump has met with the families of Israeli hostages ahead of his address at Knesset – Israel’s parliament.

Mr Trump declared the war in Gaza is ‘over’ as he arrived in Israel as 20 people kidnapped by Hamas more than two yeard ago were reunited with loved ones.

The US President is due to address the Knesset shortly.

Donald Trump brokered an invitation to Israeli’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend today’s Gaza peace summit in Egypt.

Mr Trump called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi alongside Netanyahu after landing in Tel Aviv this morning.

A statement released by the Egyptian presidency reads:

It was agreed (Netanyahu) would attend the peace summit in which Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will also participate.

Netanyahu and Trump will travel with Trump to Sharm El-Sheikh where 20 world leaders including Sir Keir Starmer will convene this afternoon.

The summit will aim ‘to end the war in the Gaza Strip and enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East’.

Several buses have left Israel’s Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, according to the AFP news agency.

Some 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza are expected to be released within the next few hours.

The release was agreed in turn for Hamas releasing the 20 surviving Israeli hostages.

Israel’s prison authority had said over the weekend that it was preparing prisoners who were due for release from two prisons, including Ofer, as part of the agreement.

Footage has been released of the moment Israeli hostages were received by the country’s army after being released from Gaza where they were held captive for more than two years.

The family of Israeli hostage Eitan Mor have thanked Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu after they were reunited for the first time in two years.

Eitan was among the first seven hostages to leave Gaza this morning and was reunited with loved ones at the Re’im military base before he is taken to hospital in Israel.

In a statement released on social media, his family thanked Israeli PM Netanyahu for his leadership since the October 7 attacks and Donald Trump for his ‘actions and pressures’ to release those held captive.

Our beloved Eitan, how much we have waited for you, how much we have waited to finally see you after two years. We saw you for the last time today, in Hoshana Rabbah, two years ago, and today we embrace you back into the family.

This picture shows the moment one of the Israeli hostages released today spoke with his young daughters for the first time in more than two years.

Omri Miran was among the first cohort of hostages to leave Gaza this morning.

After he was transferred into the custody of the IDF, he spoke to his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, on a tablet while at the Re’im base alongside his father Dani and wife Lishay.

The girls are said to be waiting for Omri at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

The picture was released by Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

An Israeli hostage’s father who was paralysed and non-verbal has miraculously learnt how to walk and talk again so that he can hug his son and tell him how much he loves him when he is released by Hamas.

Bar Kuperstein, 23, from Holon, was working at the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was kidnapped by terrorists who launched an enormous assault, killing 378 partygoers and taking 44 people into Gaza.

His family called him as sirens began sounding but hours later found videos and photos of him tied up on the ground by Hamas.

He had been helping those shot and injured by the terrorists rather than escaping himself, other survivors of the attack told his family.

His father Tal Kuperstein, who suffered a cerebral incident during an operation after a car crash prior to October 7, has learnt how to walk and speak again with the help of a physical therapist ahead of his son’s release.

In a touching video, posted on social media, the father can be seen taking short steps while clutching on to a walker in what will be a surprise to his son.

Israeli media is reporting Benjamin Netanyahu will accompany Donald Trump to a peace summit in Egypt later this afternoon.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that Netanyahu spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

He is expected to travel with Trump to Sharm El-Sheikh where world leaders including Sir Keir Starmer will convene this afternoon.

The summit will aim ‘to end the war in the Gaza Strip and enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East’.

The IDF has released the identities of the 13 remaining hostages and confirmed no-one living remains captive by Hamas.

Hamas handed over the 13 — named as Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, and Ariel Cunio — to the Red Cross in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The hostages will be escorted out of Gaza by IDF to a military base in Re’im for an initial checkup and to meet their families.

Here are the scenes at Israel’s Ofer prison where thousands of Palestinians will be released as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel said it will free prisoners once it has confirmation that all hostages held in Gaza have arrived in the country.

‘Palestinian prisoners will be released once Israel has confirmation that all of our hostages set to be released tomorrow are across the border into Israel,’ Shosh Bedrosian told journalists yesterday.

There were tears and cheers today in Tel Aviv as Israelis reacted to hostages being released from Gaza.

Gathered together at a plaza known as Hostages Square, crowds celebrated wildly as the first seven Israelis were freed by Hamas.

Here is the reaction below to a live broadcast of the moment they saw the release:

Israelis have been pictured wearing red baseball caps declaring ‘Trump The Peace President’ in his honour as he addresses the country’s parliament.

The red caps, synonymous with ‘Make America Great Again’, will be seen as a tribute to Trump as he makes a hero’s visit this morning.

Trump will meet families of the hostages before dashing off to a peace summit in Egypt where he will meet other world leaders including Sir Keir Starmer.

The IDF has confirmed the remaining 13 living hostages have been released to the Red Cross and are heading to Israeli forces in Gaza.

‘According to information provided by the Red Cross, 13 hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF (military) and ISA (security agency) forces in the Gaza Strip,’ the military said in a statement.

They will be assessed at an air base before being taken by helicopter to hospitals in Israel.

Israel’s foreign ministry has declared the first seven hostages are back in Israel ‘surrounded by love’.

The remaining 13 hostages have also been released to the Red Cross and will be transferred to the IDF.

Donald Trump will shortly address Israel’s parliament, known as Knesset, in Jerusalem.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One before he landed in Tel Aviv, the president declared: ‘The war is over.’

‘People are tired of it, it’s been centuries,’ he said. ‘The ceasefire will hold, we’re going to make sure it holds.’

• Watch below as Trump signs a book ahead of his Knesset address

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will attend the summit on Gaza that will take place in Egypt later Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The summit, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will see more than 20 leaders gather to mark the Gaza ceasefire and the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Abbas is a rival of Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war in Gaza. Neither Israel nor Hamas will be represented at the summit.

Donald Trump has arrived at Israel’s parliament, known as Knesset, in Jerusalem.

Trump is expected to deliver an address and meet some of the families of the hostages who have returned to Israel today.

Hamas handed over all 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza on Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster reported.

The group was released in two batches, with a second group of 13 hostages transferred in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the broadcaster said.

Hamas has now handed over the 20 survivors of those taken in captivity following the October 7 attacks two years ago.

The Israeli military has already taken custody of seven hostages freed by Hamas earlier today.

The seven hostages have now crossed into Israel, and will be transferred to a military base where they will be reunited with their families. They will then be taken by helicopter to Israeli hospitals.

This is the first photo of Gali Berman, one of the first Israeli hostages to be released by Hamas, in Israel.

The ‘broken’ mother of a slain October 7 victim has taken her own life in the second suicide linked to the tragedy in just two days.

Yelena Giler, 56, mother of Slava Giler, who was murdered at the Nova music festival in Israel, died by suicide on Thursday – just two days after the second anniversary of the massacre, Hebrew media reports.

‘That day broke her,’ wrote Slava’s brother, Alex ‘Sasha’ Giler, in a social media post following the tragic death.

Read the full story below

Some 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza are expected to be released within the next few hours.

Israeli media has suggested the prisoners are now being prepared to leave Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.

The first hostages released by Hamas have started reconnecting with their loved ones after two years in captivity.

Omri Miran is one of the seven captives who were handed first to the Red Cross and then to the Israeli military this morning.

A Jewish TV news anchor has broken down after receiving confirmation the first Israeli hostages had been released by Hamas.

Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson fought back tears as news broke that the first seven of 20 living Israeli hostages were released on Monday after two years in captivity.

Read the full story below:

Hostage Bar Kuperstein has a huge surprise waiting for him when he comes home to Israel.

His father, who had been paralyzed and nonverbal due to an accident, has learned to walk and speak again over the last two years.

Brothers David and Ariel Cunio are seen video calling their partners from Gaza ahead of their release.

As a reminder, seven captives have already been released with another 13 expected to be freed today.

The US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has praised the UK’s ‘vital’ role in securing the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel.

In particular, I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.

This is the incredible moment an Israeli mother spoke to her son over the phone after he was released by Hamas along with six others following 738 days in hellish captivity.

Einav Zangauker can be seen talking with her son, 25-year-old Matan Zangauker, who is still being held in an undisclosed location in Gaza.

He is one of the first seven Israeli hostages to be handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross after they were abducted on October 7, 2023.

In remarks made while on his way, the US president declared that ‘the war is over,’ citing the ceasefire as proof that the conflict in Gaza has entered a new phase.

Read the full story below:

The Israeli military has said the Red Cross is on its way to a point in southern Gaza to take custody of second group of living hostages.

‘The war is over, OK?’ Trump told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One as he travelled to Israel for the release of the hostages.

‘I think people are tired of it,’ he said, emphasizing that he believed the ceasefire would hold because of that.

The Republican president said the chance of peace was enabled by his administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has posted on X after the release of the first wave of hostages.

He said:’The State of Israel and the security establishment embrace our first seven hostages returning home, including IDF soldier Matan Angrest.

‘We await all of them with excitement and great love.’

Air Force One carrying President Trump has flown over Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before landing in Israel.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Tel Aviv to watch the release of the hostages as part of the Israel-Hamas war ceasefire.

The flyover came just after the first seven living hostages arrived in Israel from Gaza.

The Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have been forced to endure horrifying ordeals throughout their 737 days in captivity.

This has included starvation, torture and being forced to dig their own graves.

Read the full story below:

The seven living hostages freed by Hamas have returned to Israel, the country’s military has said.

The group will be transferred to a military base in southern Israel to be reunited with their families. They’ll then be taken by helicopter to Israeli hospitals.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived at Sharm El Sheikh International Airport in Egypt last night.

There he will meet world leaders for a summit on ending the war in Gaza.

Donald Trump’s administration is watching the footage of the release of the hostages from Air Force One.

The US president is due to touch down in Israel shortly.

Today’s prisoner exchange comes following the signing of a historic ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, that was brokered by Trump.

The first seven Israeli hostages are now in the hands of the IDF, it was confirmed on X just now.

The Israeli defense forces said the freed captives are ‘on their return to Israel, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment’.

It also made a plea to the public to ‘act responsibly and with sensitivity’ after their release.

They are awaiting the release of more hostages, who are set to be handed over to the Red Cross later this morning.

Hamas has released the first group of Israeli hostages after they spent more than two years in hellish captivity.

Seven captives were handed over to the Red Cross this morning, 737 days after they were taken into Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Families and friends of the hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that their loved ones were being released.

Read the full story below:

A military source has told Reuters that the first seven Israeli hostages have been handed over by the Red Cross to IDF forces.

Pictures show a Red Cross vehicle driving through Gaza to an Israeli-controlled territory.

The Israeli military is yet to confirm the names of the hostages who have been handed over by Hamas. However, they have been widely reported in Israeli media to be:

• Eitan Mor
• Gali Berman
• Ziv Berman
• Matan Angrest
• Omri Miran
• Alon Ohel
• Guy Gilboa-Dalal

Pictures are coming in showing the huge operation to get the Israeli hostages to safety.

Here, an Israeli military helicopter is on stand-by on the Re’im military base in southern Israeli, waiting to take freed captives to hospital where they will need urgent medical attention.

More images are coming through from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

A group of masked Palestinian militants armed with rifles can be seen standing guard in the area.

The first images of a Red Cross convoy transporting the first freed hostages through Gaza has been released.

The IDF confirmed earlier this morning that the hostages are on their way to an Israeli-controlled part of Gaza.

There they will be transported to Re’im military base in southern Israel where they will be reunited with their families.

Emotional scenes are coming out of Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as thousands of people wait for Israeli hostages to be released.

They are the latest pictures.

The Israel Defense Forces has just confirmed the handover of the first seven hostages to the Red Cross.

They are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in Gaza, they have confirmed via X.

‘The IDF is prepared to receive additional hostages who are expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later on,’ they said in a post.

This has also been confirmed by Hamas.

Israeli soldiers and medics are on stand-by to take the first freed Israeli hostages to hospital.

Once Hamas have handed them over to the Red Cross, they will be transferred to a part of Gaza which is controlled by the Israeli military.

Then they will be transported to Re’im military base in southern Israel where they will be reunited with their families.

They will be taken to hospitals, with the Israeli air force on hand to immediately airlift any hostages who require urgent medical attention.

Thousands of people are gathered in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as they nervously await for the hostages to be released after 737 days in captivity.

People cheered and embraced one another as it was announced the first seven Israeli hostages had been handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas.

Others waved flags and signs saying ‘they’re coming home’.

These are the latest scenes.

Palestinian detainees are also being released today during this historic prisoner exchange. An official involved in the operation has told Reuters that all 1,966 prisoners being released by Israel have now boarded buses.

The first seven Israeli hostages are now in the custody of the Red Cross in Gaza, an official involved in the operation has confirmed to Reuters.

The father of Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was kidnapped from the Nova festival, told Israeli news outlet Haaretz that his son ‘was handed over to the Red Cross’.

He continued: ‘In 15 minutes he is expected to be handed over to the IDF, and then he will arrive here’.

Israel says Hamas has handed over the first seven hostages to the Red Cross as part of the Gaza ceasefire.

There was no immediate information on their condition.

Noa Argamani was one of the Israelis kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023 atrocities.

She became one of the most high profile faces of the tragedy after a picture emerged of her being captured by Hamas operatives.

Argamani was taken alongside her boyfriend, Avinatan Or.

She was rescued by IDF soldiers on June 8, 2024.

Or’s name was included on the list of hostages who will be freed today.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said he will award U.S. President Donald Trump Israel’s highest civilian honor, the ‘Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor,’ for his efforts to bring the hostages home.

He is scheduled to land just after 9am local time.

Hamas has released a list of names of the surviving hostages who will soon return home to their families.

• Bar Kupershtein
• Evyatar David
• Yosef-Chaim Ohana
• Segev Kalfon
• Avinatan Or
• Elkana Bohbot
• Maxim Herkin
• Nimrod Cohen
• Matan Zangauker
• David Cunio
• Eitan Horn
• Matan Angrest
• Eitan Mor
• Gali Berman
• Ziv Berman
• Omri Miran
• Alon Ohel
• Guy Gilboa-Dalal
• Rom Braslabski
• Ariel Kon