Donald Trump said Israel has the 20 living Israeli hostages and they could be released ‘a little bit early’ but hinted at the horrible conditions Hamas was keeping them in.
The president said it was still up in the air the exact hour those still alive will be turned over but was optimistic when he spoke to the press on Air Force One as he took off for Tel Aviv Sunday.
‘They have the hostages – I understand all 20 – and we may get them out a little bit early,’ Trump said.
‘Getting them back was amazing because we were involved and they were in places that you don’t want to know about,’ he added.
The president will first head to the Israeli city this afternoon, where he is scheduled to arrive just after 9am local time, just following the two year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.
‘There are 500,000 people, yesterday and today, in Israel and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody’s cheering at one time – that’s never happened before,’ he said.
‘Usually, if you have one cheering, the other isn’t – the other is the opposite. This is the first time everybody is amazed, and they’re thrilled.
‘It’s an honor to be involved, and we’re going to have an amazing time, and it’s going to be something that’s never, never happened before.’
Trump then waved goodbye as he stepped onto the aircraft.
When he arrives in Tel Aviv, he will meet with families of hostages who have been in Hamas captivity, before delivering remarks to the Knesset – Israel’s unicameral legislature.
Donald Trump is on his way to the Middle East after securing a peace deal between Israel and Hamas
Donald Trump waved as he boarded the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland
Trump addressed reporters just before he boarded Air Force One as he stood beneath an umbrella that shook in the powerful wind
From there, he will head to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to participate in a Middle East Peace Ceremony before heading back to the White House.
Trump announced on Wednesday night that both Israel and Hamas had signed off on the ‘first phase’ of his proposed peace deal – a substantial step in ending the war in Gaza.
‘This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
‘All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,’ he continued. ‘BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!’
Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.
‘The whole world has come together on this one. Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day,’ Trump later told Reuters.
‘This is a great day for the world. This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everybody.’
Israelis held pro-Trump posters in Tel Aviv on October 11 after the president brokered the peace deal
Ivanka Trump (pictured) spoke at the ‘Bring Them Home’ rally in Tel Aviv over the weekend
Ivanka Trump (right) reemerged alongside her husband Jared Kushner (left) and Special Envoy Witkoff (middle) during a ‘Bring Them Home’ rally
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government will convene on Thursday to ratify the deal and looks forward to the release of the hostages.
‘With God’s help, we will bring them all home,’ Netanyahu said in a statement.
Vice President JD Vance told NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press Sunday morning – correcting NBC’s own prior reporting – that the United States will be monitoring the terms of the ceasefire but will not put boots on the ground.
‘We’re not planning to put boots on the ground. What we already have is a US Central Command. We already have people in that region of the world,’ Vance told Welker.
‘They’re going to monitor the terms of the ceasefire. They’re going to monitor, ensure that the humanitarian aid is flowing. They actually confirmed yesterday that Israel pulled back to the agreed-upon lines, which, of course, is the first condition.’
‘The second term is for the hostages to be released. So we have people in that region of the world who are going to monitor parts of this peace proposal. But the president is not planning to put boots on the ground in Israel,’ Vance confirmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured with Trump on September 29) said the government will convene on Thursday to ratify the deal and looks forward to the release of the hostages
Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to celebrate the ceasefire agreement on October 11
Vice President JD Vance (pictured on October 1) said the US will be monitoring the terms of the ceasefire but will not put boots on the ground
An American Flag covered a historic building in Tel Aviv ahead of Trump’s arrival to the city
President Donald Trump (pictured on October 10) brokered a ceasefire in Gaza
Trump is heading to join other members of his administration and family already present in Israel.
Ivanka Trump, who holds no formal role in the administration and has been largely absent from most political events during her father’s second term, reemerged alongside her husband Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Witkoff during a ‘Bring Them Home’ rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square earlier this weekend.
There, Ivanka Trump told the crowd that she was ‘in awe’ of the ‘strength and conviction in spite of such suffering’ of the hostages’ families.
She added that the president wanted her to share that he sees ‘you personally, he hears you, he stands with you always.’
‘The return of each hostage is not only a moment of homecoming and relief, it’s a triumph of faith, of courage, and of our shared humanity,’ Ivanka also added.
