On Sunday, Vice President Vance announced that President Trump plans to “personally” welcome the Israeli hostages released from Hamas.
Vance revealed during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Trump intends to fly to Israel on Sunday afternoon to personally greet the hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for over two years.
The President is scheduled to depart for Israel on Sunday.
Vance mentioned in the interview that Trump is planning to welcome the hostages on Monday morning in Middle East time, which translates to Sunday evening or Monday early morning in the United States.
He confirmed that Hamas still holds 20 live hostages in Gaza, stating that they are expected to be released at any moment.
President Trump recently announced that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. Following this, the Israeli government approved the first phase of the peace agreement with Hamas, which is now being implemented.
Vance referred to the hostage release as “a significant event” but expressed doubts during an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” regarding the return of all deceased hostages’ bodies from Hamas.
He said, “I believe that we will ultimately retrieve most of the bodies, but not all of them.”
Regarding the specific arrangements for welcoming the hostages, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian stated, “We expect to hand over all 20 live hostages to the Red Cross simultaneously, using six to eight vehicles for transport.”
Bedrosian mentioned that after their release, the hostages will be taken to a military base to reunite with their families and, if necessary, receive medical treatment.
As per the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinian detainees and receive the bodies of 28 hostages believed to be deceased. Bedrosian stated that the Israeli military plans to hold a memorial ceremony for these deceased individuals in Gaza.
After welcoming the released hostages, President Trump will deliver a speech at the Israeli parliament before heading to the coastal city of Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt to co-host a “Peace Summit” with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, attended by leaders from over 20 countries.