Hostages who had been held by the Hamas terrorist group for more than two years finally returned to their families in Israel on Oct. 13.
Eitan Mor was seen embracing his parents, both wearing Israeli flags around their shoulders, in a short video clip posted on the social media platform.
President Donald Trump declared a “day of profound joy, of soaring hope, of renewed faith” as he addressed the Israeli Knesset on Oct. 13, touting the implementation of a cease-fire designed to conclude two years of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
As he began his remarks, the president noted the release of the last 20 surviving hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump said the remains of another 28 captives are also due to be turned over to Israeli custody.
The Israeli president announced on Monday that Trump, in the coming months, will be awarded the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor for his efforts to help secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
“President Trump’s legacy will be remembered for generations by the State of Israel and the Jewish people," President Isaac Herzog said in a statement.
The medal, Israel’s highest civilian honor, has previously been awarded to U.S. Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton.
Hamas released seven hostages on Monday, the first to be released as part of a cease-fire that has paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the devastated Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military acknowledged having received seven hostages after they were freed by Hamas and given to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The seven hostages will cross into Israel and 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.
TEL AVIV—The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that it has completed preparations to receive U.S. President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion Airport early on the morning of Oct. 13. A roughly 160-foot red carpet has been laid out at the center of the ceremonial plaza, alongside a platform for reporters and photographers, and dozens of Israeli and U.S. flags are flying.
At 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. EDT), a trumpet fanfare will announce the president’s entrance into the Knesset plenum.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the assembly in a special session convened in Trump’s honor. Their speeches will be followed by the U.S. president’s speech.
The cease-fire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group held for a third day on Oct. 12, offering hope for a more lasting peace, two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
By noon on Oct. 13, Hamas is expected to release the remaining hostages from that attack. Israel, meanwhile, is expected to release 1,700 Palestinians who have been detained in the Gaza Strip.
During an interview with ABC News on Oct. 12, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said he expected 20 living hostages to be released within 24 hours.