Israelis are preparing to welcome home the imminent return of the last 20 living hostages from devastated Gaza and mourn the dead ones

The living hostages are all back in Israel after being freed from two years' captivity in Gaza. Israel has now begun releasing Palestinians, with almost 2,000 due to be freed.

Israeli officials on Sunday said the remaining hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, were to be returned on Monday to Israel as part of a prisoner exchange. Twenty of those hostages are thought to be living,

The Israeli military said Monday that seven living hostages freed by Hamas have returned to Israel. The seven will be transferred to a military base in southern Israel to be reunited with their families.

In total, 20 living hostages are due to be released today - Hamas earlier released a list of their names. Israel is releasing hundreds of Palestinians in exchange.

Twenty of the 48 hostages who remain in Gaza are believed to be alive. Here are some details about them: Most of the living hostages being released were abducted from the site of the Nova Music festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel.

Israel said Sunday that it expected all of the living hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be released Monday, confirming the next phase of the breakthrough ceasefire deal with Hamas, as Palestinians awaited a long-promised surge of aid deliveries into the enclave.

Israel says it expects all of the 20 living hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be released Monday in its breakthrough ceasefire deal with Hamas