Netanyahu leaves a ‘personal message’ to return Israeli hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, wrote a warm personal message of welcome to the surviving hostages who were released on Monday after spending more than two years in Hamas captivity.

The note, written in Hebrew, read: “In the name of God, people of Israel! We love you! We stand with you, and we are with you. Sarah and Benjamin Netanyahu.”

The equipment included clothing, a laptop, a mobile phone and a tablet.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sarah, were seen with Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, at the airport before the president’s arrival.

Trump landed at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv around 9:43 a.m. as the first group of seven hostages crossed into Israel. The remaining thirteen hostages are expected to be released to the Red Cross soon.

The Supreme Commander exited the presidential plane alone and was greeted by a military band playing upon his arrival.

The president stared at the crowd, raising his fist in the air to mark the occasion before descending the stairs.

Trump received Israeli President Isaac Herzog and had a friendly moment with Netanyahu before speaking with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Israeli envoy Yechiel Leiter. He and Netanyahu then left together for the Knesset in Jerusalem.

The president and his team brokered the historic peace deal last week, in which Hamas agreed to release 20 hostages alive and return the remains of 28 others — captives who endured more than two horrific years in Gaza after being kidnapped from southern Israel during Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7, 2023, invasion.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel are scheduled to be released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.