US President Trump arrived in Israel on Monday to meet families of hostages as transfers of captives from Gaza got underway under what officials described as part of his administration’s peace plan to end the war. 

A first group of seven living hostages was handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) inside Gaza before being transferred to Israeli military custody for their return to Israel. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted Mr Trump on arrival as the handovers continued, according to Israeli officials. 

They said 41 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, including 13 who are alive. 

Israel is expected to free around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners—approximately 250 serving life sentences and about 1,700 detained since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack—in exchange for the release of Israeli captives. 

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect at noon local time on Friday, with Israeli forces completing a pullback to a pre-approved line inside the Gaza Strip. 

Aid deliveries resumed as large numbers of displaced Palestinians moved back toward northern Gaza, many to homes reduced to rubble. 

During his brief visit, the US president is expected to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and to meet relatives of the hostages before departing for Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend a Middle East peace ceremony. 

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