Israel Confirms Early Monday Release, Reports Say 8AM, Qatari Diplomats Killed En Route To Gaza Summit

The Prime Minister’s Office announced Sunday afternoon that the remaining hostages are expected to be released early Monday morning, confirming reports made earlier in the day. PMO spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said that Israel is fully prepared to receive them even earlier if Hamas agrees to advance the handover.

Later on Sunday evening, reports indicated that the living hostages will be returned at 8AM, and the murdered will be returned in the afternoon.

The same report refuted rumors that Israel possessed information about the hostages gathering in one location, and that sources in the Red Cross say that some of the hostages will require immediate intervention.

Bedrosian explained that once Israel confirms it has received all the hostages it expects, it will then begin releasing Palestinian security prisoners. That step, she noted, will also signal that Israel understands which hostages the terrorists are unable to return immediately.

Meanwhile, Hamas’s government media office denied a BBC report claiming the terror group has mobilized 7,000 new operatives to reassert its control over Gaza and appointed military figures as new governors. “This information has no basis in truth,” Hamas said, calling the report “deliberate fabrications intended to mislead the public.”

According to the BBC, Hamas allegedly activated its forces through phone calls and text messages, ordering members to “cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel” and to report for duty within 24 hours. The outlet also said Hamas had installed five new governors, all with armed wing experience rather than political backgrounds.

Hours before the expected hostage release under the US-brokered ceasefire deal, President Isaac addressed crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, calling the agreement “a historic moment” that could reshape the region. “It’s important to say – this agreement is not simple. It will include some very painful elements, and they already are painful,” Herzog said. “But we understand that this is a historic moment that can also provide a genuine horizon of hope and change for the Middle East.”

Herzog added that Israel is “eagerly awaiting” the arrival of US President Donald Trump, who is expected in the country Monday. “We want to welcome him among us, to thank him from the bottom of our hearts – him and his team – for their tremendous effort, as well as the mediators and everyone who took part,” he said. The president added that Israel hopes the US will help “build the next stages [of the deal] so that we will see real change in Israel and the Middle East – in Gaza and everywhere – that will bring us true change and hope.”

In a separate development, three Qatari diplomats were killed and two others injured in a car accident near the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egyptian security officials told Reuters. Their vehicle reportedly overturned on a curve about 50 kilometers from the city.

The crash occurred just one day before Sharm el-Sheikh is scheduled to host a high-stakes international summit aimed at ending the Gaza war. The gathering, co-chaired by President Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will bring together leaders from more than twenty countries, according to Cairo’s presidential office, with the notable exception of an Israeli presence.