JERUSALEM – President Donald Trump addressed the Israeli parliament on Monday as the final steps of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect and the last remaining living hostages were returned to Israel.

Israeli officials confirmed that the final 20 surviving hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks were released Monday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The bodies of 28 deceased hostages remain in Gaza and are expected to be returned under the terms of the agreement.

In his remarks to the Knesset, Trump thanked lawmakers for their reception and acknowledged the significance of the moment.

“After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families,” Trump said. “Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time.”

He continued, “And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace.”

As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel has begun releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners serving long or life sentences, as well as more than 1,700 Palestinian detainees from Gaza who had been held without charge since the 2023 attacks.

In the Gaza Strip, some residents have begun returning to their homes to assess damage following two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The implementation of the ceasefire and prisoner exchanges is ongoing.