Alexander Cornwell: Reuters correspondent on the release of the first Israeli hostages

Hamas is expected to start releasing Israeli hostages now.

It's handing over 20 hostages over the next two hours - followed by Israel handing over nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. 

The US president is expected to arrive in Tel Aviv very soon, and claims the war is over in Gaza and the ceasefire will hold.

Reuters correspondent Alexander Cornwell says people could start arriving very soon - and that the Red Cross will be there to collect them.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's one of the biggest days in Israeli history. It's
about seven thirty in the morning there right now, this
is in Israel. Crowds have already started gathering in the
streets ahead of the hostage released deadline, which is twelve
pm their time, ten pm our time. First, Donald Trump
is going to touch down in Jerusalem in the next
I want to say a couple of hours where he
will be greeted by Benjamin nettin Yahoo. Alexander Cornwell is

(00:20):
at the Kinnessa ahead of Trump's arrival and with us
right now. How Alexander you there?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hi? Yes, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Now, when do we expect the hostages to start to
actually be released?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
So the deadline is that they've be released at twelve
noon local time, which is just over four hours from now. However,
Israeli media reporting that it could start happening in the
next twenty minutes, and Reuter's is reporting that the Red
Cross convoys are on their way in Gaza, two positions
to collect at least some of those sassages that will
be released today.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, so the involvement of the Red Cross, is this
an indication of what kind of a state these people
are in or are they simply the people who act
as the intermediary.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Throughout the war. There has been hostage releases by Hamas.
The Red Cross has acted to collect them, so this
does not necessarily suggest anything about their condition. That's the
role they're playing. They are receiving the hostages in Gaza,
and then they will hand them over to the Israelian
military who will then take them to Israeli territory.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
And then at what stage does Israel start releasing the
Palestinians prisoners.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
So israelifiiciers have said that the Palestinian prisoners will start
being released once those living hostages arrive in Israeli territory.
So in the next few hours we should see twenty
living hostages released, mostly the Israeli hostages, excuse me, and
then we should start seeing soon afterwards the Palestinian prisoners
start to being released.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Have we got to the bottom of the niggle that's
been going on in the last day or so between
Hamas and Israel about who should be released?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
No, No, there's been no clarity over that. It seems
that the list is set and it doesn't appear that
it's going to derail the agreement.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
At all.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
So while Hamas wanted other prisoners, some more prominent Palestinians,
to be released, it doesn't appear that this is going
to break the ceasefire.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Okay, so what is Trump expected to say to the parliament?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Trump will give an address in a few hours now
to the Knesset. He hasn't made. He's given a few
details about what exactly he will say. He will talk
about peace, He'll talk about and expected that he will
talk about an end to the war. And he's also
expected to meet with families of hostages who have been released,
and even hostages. Now it's not clear if that would
be hostages and families released in previous instances in the

(02:34):
war or those being released this morning. And then he
flies off to Egypt, does he That's correct, He'll be
off to Shamel Shaik, where he is going to be
taking part in an international summer of world leaders that
is going to focus on the agreement to ending the
war in Gaza.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Good stuff, Alexander, Thanks for talking us through that. Alexander
Cornwell Ruyters, senior correspondent in Jerusalem.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
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