Jerusalem has agreed to release 1,950 Palestinian security prisoners, including 250 who are serving life sentences for deadly attacks, as well as 1,700 Palestinians arrested since Oct. 7, 2023.By JNSIsrael was set on Monday morning for the return of dozens of hostages held by Hamas, two years after their kidnapping during the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.Their return is part of the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.“According to information received, the Red Cross is on its way to a meeting point in northern Gaza where several hostages will be transferred into their custody,” the Israel Defense Forces stated.“The IDF is prepared to receive additional hostages who are expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later on,” the military added.Israel believes Hamas will transfer the remaining 20 living hostages, along with the bodies of most of the 28 captives who have been confirmed dead.The hostages will first be received by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will transfer them to the IDF inside Gaza.There, military medical teams will carry out initial examinations, and those requiring urgent care will be airlifted to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon or Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva.תיעוד מנקודת הקליטה הראשונית אליה יגיעו החטופים pic.twitter.com/Z4Y5qoDBdX— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 12, 2025If their condition permits, the freed hostages will travel in an IDF convoy to the Re’im military base, where their families will be waiting.The base has been prepared with 20 private rooms designated for reunions and thorough medical assessments.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, included a personal note to the returning hostages in a reception kit prepared for them, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday morning.The kit contains clothing and personal items, as well as a laptop, cellphone and tablet to assist the freed hostages in reintegrating, according to the PMO.The handwritten note from the Netanyahus reads: “On behalf of the entire Israeli people, welcome back! We waited for you and embrace you.”A handwritten note from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, for hostages returning from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 13, 2025. Credit: Prime Minister’s Office.Following the reunion at Re’im, the hostages are to be flown to hospitals across the country, which have already cleared dedicated departments.Meanwhile, the Palestinian prisoners set for release will be held on buses outside Israeli jails.The vehicles will only depart for the border crossings once all surviving hostages are confirmed to be safely in Israeli hands.Jerusalem has agreed to release 1,950 Palestinian security prisoners, including 250 who are serving life sentences for deadly attacks, as well as 1,700 Palestinians arrested since Oct. 7, 2023.After the freed hostages have arrived in Israel, the Red Cross convoy will return to Gaza to recover the bodies of the deceased.The bodies will be draped in Israeli flags and transported to Re’im, where they will be greeted by an honor guard and a prayer led by a military rabbi.Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services is prepared to then receive the remains at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv for final examination.The ministry’s director-general, Yehudah Avidan, said Sunday that the institute holds intelligence files on each of the fallen to help expedite their identification.Avidan told Reshet Bet that most of the 28 murdered hostages have already been declared dead by a special committee led by the Chief Rabbinate, allowing widows to remarry in accordance with Jewish law.“There’s no chance of error,” he stressed, explaining that the committee acted solely on solid evidence provided by Israeli intelligence agencies.Noting that some families already observed the seven-day mourning period known as shivah, Avidan said that the Religious Services Ministry would assist the families in holding a “new funeral.”The post Israel set to redeem hostages in first phase of Trump peace plan appeared first on World Israel News.