Fateful days: Israel is also preparing for the seemingly unlikely possibility that some of the hostages will be released today. There is still no clear timetable, and it is unclear which of the dead will be returned and when. 3 hospitals are prepared for immediate evacuation."The Survival Guide" written by a captive survivor for the hostages, the thousands who came to the rally and the applause for the Trump envoys:"This success has one father"
Gal Ganot
,
Lior El-Hai
,
Roni Green Shaulov
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The clock is ticking, the alert is at its peak - and an entire country is holding its breath with the families. More than two years after October 7, the release of the hostages and the end of the war are closer than ever. If there are no last-minute delays and glitches, the living hostages will be released on Monday morning - all of them, and with them a large part of the dead. However, even now there are still no lists, no timetable, and the fear that something will go wrong hangs over everything.
10 Viewing the gallery
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson, courtesy of the families)
(Photo: Aviv Atlas)
Israel estimates that the release of the hostages will begin early Monday morning - and this is what a senior Hamas official told AFP this evening. Osama Hamdan told the Agence France-Presse that"in accordance with the agreement that was signed, the prisoner exchange is expected to begin Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on the subject," as he put it.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, the terrorist organization can release the hostages until 12:00. However, Israel is preparing for the possibility that Hamas may surprise and begin releasing them as early as tomorrow, in order to have time to release everyone before or near the arrival of US President Donald Trump in the country.
"For a brief visit to history"
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The coordinator of the prisoners and missing persons, Gal Hirsch, wrote in a message to the families that"We estimate that the process of releasing your loved ones, our kidnapped loved ones, will begin on Monday morning. In this framework, the living kidnapped will be transferred to us, and it is expected that the deceased kidnapped will be transferred to us. The preparations for their reception in the Reim camp, in the hospitals, and in general in the government systems have been completed."
The understanding in Israel is that Hamas needs to organize logistically and move the living and dead hostages from their current location to a single collection point before the release. According to the agreement, the living hostages will be settled first - it is possible that they will all be handed over to the Red Cross at once and not in batches at different points - and then the dead. However, as mentioned, Israel is also preparing for other scenarios, including the possibility that Hamas will violate the summaries, and it is also estimated that the terrorist organization will not release all the dead hostages by Monday.
Since the 20 living abductees are expected to return to Israel in a complex medical condition, after two years in captivity, Israel is preparing to immediately evacuate them to hospitals - and there will be doctors on the ground who will make decisions in real time.
Three hospitals are preparing to receive the returnees.
: Ichilov in Tel Aviv, Sheba in Tel Hashomer and Beilinson in Petah Tikva.
Rally at Hatufim Square."Nobel for President Trump" (Photo: Reuters/REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg)
Meanwhile, all the families of the abductees in Israel have received a phone call from their intelligence officer with an assessment of the condition of their loved ones. The understanding in Israel is that since not all of the deceased abductees will be found,
International Task Force
will begin moving immediately thereafter to locate them. This force, the establishment of which was revealed on Ynet, will include the US, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and Israel. The idea is that any intelligence information about the location of the hostages will be examined in depth, until they are all found.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs is preparing to receive the fallen hostages through a complex process, which also includes rigorous checks for possible explosives or explosive devices. After initial identification by the Red Cross, the fallen will be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, where an accurate identification process will take place based on intelligence files and the decisions of a special committee established for this purpose. The ministry is also preparing for the emotional aspect – some of the families who have already held shiva and symbolic funerals will now be forced to hold another funeral. In cooperation with the IDF, the police and other entities, the ministry is working to provide the families with close support and fulfill any request related to the burial ceremonies, with the aim of giving the fallen their final respect.
According to Hirsch,"At the same time, and after the process of identifying the fallen who will be returned, the international task force will begin its work to locate and return all of our abducted and fallen loved ones, those who were not returned within the 72 hours defined in the agreement. We demand, expect and work for a 100% effort on the part of Hamas and with the assistance of the international force to meet the mission and return all the abducted and fallen to the grave of Israel."
"They really want it to happen - and they're also afraid"
Ahead of the long-awaited day, families of the kidnapped express great hope alongside the fear that everything could still collapse - and also about the situation in which their loved ones will return. Maya, cousin of the captive survivor
Yair Horn
And the kidnapper
Ethan Horn
, shared in a conversation with Ynet:"I'm trying to breathe, there's a lot of pressure. On the one hand, we're really expecting, waiting and really wanting it to happen - and on the other hand, we're also afraid. Afraid that something will go wrong, and until we see all the kidnapped people here, we won't really be able to breathe."
Kidnapped Square (Photo: Yariv Katz)
She said that after Yair's release from captivity, her family is in a very complex situation."We really want to keep Yair and really want him to succeed in his rehabilitation after the hell he went through, and on the other hand, we have the struggle. He sees everything, there's no way to hide it and he was there," she said."He knows better than any of us what Eitan is going through. It took us a while to figure out how we do it, but he has strengths that I can't even understand where he gets them from. Everything he does is so that his brother can be here."
When the news of the deal was received, Yair was in Washington as part of a delegation on behalf of the hostages."He was here on several deals that have already been torpedoed, and it's scary," Maya added."These are a lot of mixed feelings of joy, stress, fear and happiness. It's impossible to explain the range of emotions we're going through. After Ethan is here, we'll be able to take a second to breathe and continue to return to the fight until the last hostage is taken."
Itzik Horn, the father of Yair and Eitan, spoke tonight at Hatufim Square - where they hope to soon change the name given to the place after October 7."We will still find those responsible for the failure, but what is certain is that this success has one father - President Trump has proven what it is when you decide and do it - without lying, without fear. I hope we too will be blessed with leadership with courage," he said."This is not a happy event, this is the end of a damned day in the history of the country - the citizens of Israel are returning to their land after being abandoned."
"After two years - becoming the little sister again"
Adi Engerst, the sister of
Kidnapped Matan Angrest
"I am Adi, who will soon be Matan's little sister again," she cried."Two years ago the lights went out and I was forced to be the eldest sister. I tried to take care of my parents and contain the lack in front of Ofir and Roy. The revered figure you were to me dictated to me the path and the right to fight for you until the last drop of my strength, just as you fought for us that morning you disappeared from us."
Adi Angerst (Photo: Paulina Pettimer)
She shared that she is looking forward to talking to her brother and telling him “about this crazy time.” She added: “I am not alone. There is an amazing people here, a Zionist people, a people who have not stopped fighting for you. I am excited to stand by your side.”
Keith Siegel
"From the moment he returned to us, he never stopped fighting for you and talking about you from every platform in Israel and the world, and especially sharing with us the special bond that formed between you in captivity. The small details in the stories reflected exactly the features of your character and helped us believe that you were returning, the brother I knew."
Keith Siegel, who was with Matan in captivity, addressed Matan from the square:"Ever since they separated us, I've been thinking about you. About you staying behind for so long. Waiting to hug you again, like I hugged you then. We wished each other luck and said goodbye. Waiting to hug you and hear what's been going on with you since then. A whole nation loves you and has waited a long time for you to return. We will tell our story."
"Will you fight with me to the last captive?"
From the podium in the square, the relatives of the kidnapped promised that they would continue to fight until the last of the kidnapped returned home - including the fallen. According to an Israeli source who spoke to CNN,
The number of kidnapped people whose whereabouts are unknown
Ranging from seven to nine, another source estimated it between 10 and 15.
Robbie Chen, the father of the kidnapped man
Itay Chen
"The families of the abducted and fallen are feeling the indescribable difficulty of the delayed mourning that we must endure, alongside the grave fear that we will have to wait a long time, because our loved ones will not be returned to the Jewish grave in the coming week, claiming that they are missing," he said."I call on you, to the wonderful people who are here - please promise us that you will not forget the families of the abductees who may not receive their loved ones, and that you will continue to fight with me and the others until the last abductee returns and continue to come to the square to strengthen."
He added: "This time we cannot allow the war to end like this."
Protective Edge
The silence bought for non-return
Hadar Goldin
and
Oron Shaul
"It brought about October 7, and we must not let it happen again. So please - the people of Israel - do you promise that you will fight with me until the last captive?"
Boaz Zalmanovich, whose father
Aryeh Zalmanovich
Kidnapped and murdered while still in Gaza, he spoke at a demonstration at the Horev Junction in Haifa."736 days that my father's body has been desecrated by the murderers. The kidnapped who are returning to the bosom of their families do not know that they were used as tools by the government to continue the eternal war and to turn Israel into a tyranny," he said."The kidnapped do not suspect that they were used as tools for the survival of the government that destroyed any value for mutual responsibility, for shepherding, and for the sanctity of life."
He added: "We live in the Middle East, and it's not over until everyone is home - the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for a proper burial. We must be focused in the coming days on consolidating the cessation of hostilities and returning the kidnapped, but the struggle will not end here. Without the fallen kidnapped, the mission will not be completed."
"A Survival Guide for Returnees"
Surviving captivity
Sagi Dekel-Chen
, who was released in the previous deal, told a rally in Karmi Gat that he had prepared a"survival guide" for those returning from captivity."After 72 Sabbaths in which I was a poster, after another 32 Sabbaths in which I looked at other people's posters, I realized that the journey does not end at the moment of liberation - but in many ways it is only beginning," he shared."Yes, I got my oxygen back, my food and water came back, the ability to choose returned - but not the peace and not the friends, and now I wish everyone would come back."
He shared: "Now the next chapter begins, and I wondered if I might share some tips for my brothers in captivity, the 'survival guide': You are allowed to smile, it is even important that you smile because it is a muscle that has become atrophied and requires exercise. The good news is that it is very elastic and can recover quickly."
Sagi Dekel-Chen at Karme Gat (Photo: Herzl Yosef)
He also addressed the families of the kidnapped: "You are also allowed to smile and hug, but in life, don't be too strong. Don't spill information on them because they haven't explained anything to them. Don't rush to tell them how much you suffered and how much you fought for them, it's heavy enough for them and they know anyway. Brothers, you are finally allowed to break down how much you held on. You must first break down, but something good like that from the stomach for breaking down that you couldn't do there at night on a concrete floor alongside friends and guards."
He added: "Families are also allowed to fall apart, but maybe it's better not to be near them in the first place. Look at them with soft eyes, but don't force them to make eye contact. Let them feel that they can control their lives again, but without exaggerating. Ask them what they want, but remember that they haven't made their own decisions in a long time. It's enough to give only two options for a sandwich: sausage or omelet. Brothers, eat slowly, shower slowly, and love slowly. We got our lives back, and you now have all the time in the world to learn what that means."
Trump's visit, and the applause for his envoys
President Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are visiting Israel,
Participated
Tonight at a rally in Tel Aviv's Kidnapped Square, where they delivered speeches - just before the hostages were released, as part of the deal they were the mainstay in closing. Kushner's wife, Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, also arrived unexpectedly. Tens of thousands of Israelis came to the rally - according to the organizers, it was a huge 400,000 - and they cheered for Witkoff, Kushner and Ivanka:"Thank you!" the crowd chanted - but when Witkoff acknowledged his speech to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the crowd
He made loud boos.
.
President Trump
Will arrive in Israel
On Monday, the eve of Simchat Torah, for a very short visit of a few hours - which will take place simultaneously or immediately after the abductees' arrival in Israel. As of now, his visit to Israel will last only three hours and 40 minutes.
Signs thanking Trump at the rally in Hatufim Square (Photo: AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Rally in Kidnapped Square (Photo: AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
(Photo: Jack GUEZ / AFP)
(Photo: Reuters/REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
According to the tentative schedule, which has not yet been finalized and may be subject to change, Air Force One will land at Ben Gurion Airport at 9:20 a.m. Due to the short time, only a limited ceremony will be held at Ben Gurion Airport, with no speeches or anthems - just a red carpet, flags, cheers, and handshakes.
From Ben Gurion Airport, Trump will immediately depart for the Knesset in his famous"Beast" limousine to Jerusalem, on Highway 1 (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv), which will be closed to traffic in both directions. In preparation for the visit, the US military flew in heavy equipment on cargo planes, including Trump's limousine and the vehicles that will accompany it.
The American president is expected to arrive at the Knesset at 10:10, and at 11:00 he is expected to address the plenary session. From the Knesset, he will likely travel straight to Ben Gurion Airport and will not stop to freshen up at the King David Hotel, where two floors have been reserved for him. He will also likely not stop to visit the Western Wall. However, there may still be changes as mentioned, and the final schedule will only be finalized tomorrow.
The president will take off from Ben Gurion Airport at 1:00 PM directly to Egypt, where he will participate in a historic summit with the participation of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Arab leaders and leaders from Europe who will discuss the Gaza Strip the following day. Israel was not invited to the event, where a symbolic signing of the agreement to end the war will take place. Among the European presidents expected to participate in the summit: French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
