US President Donald Trump will receive a hero’s welcome in Israel’s parliament on Monday as a fragile Gaza ceasefire he helped broker enters its fourth day, marked by the expected release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners — a moment of cautious hope in a conflict long resistant to resolution.

The truce follows two years of devastating war sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 others taken hostage. Israeli airstrikes and ground assaults have since left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he departed Washington for Israel. Asked about prospects for the region, he added, “I think it’s going to normalise.”

Who are the Israeli hostages set to be released by Hamas?

Twenty of the 48 hostages who remain in Gaza are believed to be alive. Here are some details about them:

NOVA HOSTAGES

Most of the living hostages being released were abducted from the site of the Nova Music festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel.

They include Evyatar David, 24, who was last seen in a Hamas video in August, looking skeletally thin and digging what he said in the video was his own grave; pianist Alon Ohel, 24, and Avinatan Or, 32. A video showing Or’s abduction with his girlfriend Noa Argamani pleading for her life and reaching desperately towards him as he was marched alongside her on foot circulated across the globe. Argamani was rescued in June.

HOSTAGES TAKEN FROM KIBBUTZIM

Seven of the hostages were taken from their homes on kibbutzim, small communities near the Gaza border. They include twins Gali and Ziv Berman, 28, and brothers Ariel Cunio, 28, and David Cunio, 35, who was abducted with his wife Sharon and toddler daughters. Sharon and the girls were released in a brief November 2023 truce.

ISRAELI SOLDIERS

Two of the hostages, Matan Angrest, 22, and Nimrod Cohen, 20, are Israeli conscript soldiers who were seized by Hamas militants in the battles of October 7.

FOREIGNERS

There are four foreigners among the 48 hostages. Three of them have been pronounced dead in absentia: a Tanzanian student and two Thai workers. The fate of Nepalese student Bipin Joshi is still unknown.

DECEASED

Twenty-six hostages were formally declared dead by Israeli authorities, based on forensics and intelligence. The fate of two, including Joshi, is unknown.

Hamas has indicated that recovering the bodies of some of the dead hostages may take time, as not all burial sites are known. A special international task force is meant to help locate them all.

One of these deceased is an Israeli soldier killed in a 2014 Israel-Hamas war, and the remainder were all among the 251 hostages taken in Hamas’ deadly October 7, 2023, attack, which precipitated the war.

Some were already dead when taken, others were slain by the captors or killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza.

The United Nations said humanitarian aid had begun to flow into Gaza, including cooking gas for the first time since March, alongside expanded deliveries of food and medicine.

Names of hostages and prisoners released

In a key development underscoring the day’s significance, Hamas on Monday published the names of the 20 Israeli hostages to be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. The list included:
Bar Abraham Kupershtein, Evyatar David, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Angrest, Matan Zangauker, Eitan Horn, Eitan Abraham Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Rom Braslavski, Ariel Cunio, and David Cunio.

Israel expects the hostages to begin returning early on Monday, with the initial 20 survivors to be released together, followed by the handover of 28 others — 26 confirmed dead and two whose fate remains unknown.

The Israeli Justice Ministry also released the names of 250 Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder and other serious crimes slated for release as part of the exchange. Notably absent were high-profile figures such as senior Hamas commanders, Marwan Barghouti, and Ahmed Saadat — key demands from Hamas. Negotiations over the final list remain ongoing, alongside plans to release 1,700 Gazans detained since the 2023 attacks.