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President Donald Trump spoke with reporters on Sunday just before boarding Air Force One for his trip to Israel.

“This is a very special event. There are 500,000 people, yesterday and today in Israel, and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody’s cheering at one time, that’s never happened before,” he said.

“Usually, if you have one cheering, the other isn’t. The other is the opposite. This is the first time everybody is amazed and they’re thrilled and it’s an honor to be involved and we’re going to have an amazing time and it’s going to be something that’s never happened before. So, I’ll see you on the plane and we’re going to have a good time,” added Trump.

Once aboard the aircraft, Trump again addressed the press, declaring that “the war is over” — a statement that came after a reporter noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not yet said so himself.

He hinted that the 20 remaining living hostages might be freed “a little bit early,” though he stopped short of making a firm commitment.

“Getting them was amazing, actually, because we were involved, and they were in places that you don’t want to know about. Deep, deep, deep,” he added.

Trump went on to speak warmly of Netanyahu, calling him a capable leader in a time of war. “He did a very good job. I had some disputes with him and they were quickly settled, I can tell you that.”

“But as far as I’m concerned, I think he’s done a great job. I think he was the right person at this time,” the President continued.

Trump is expected to land in Israel on Monday morning at 9:20 a.m., where he will meet with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. He will then meet families of hostages at the Knesset before delivering an address there at 11:00 a.m.

Later in the day, at 1:00 p.m., Trump will depart Israel and fly to Egypt, where he will chair a high-level international summit focused on finalizing the end of the Gaza war and establishing long-term peace in the region.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Speaking to Axios aboard Air Force One on his way to Israel, US President Donald Trump said that the newly brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “could be the biggest thing I was ever involved in.” Trump told the outlet — which shares a reporter with Israel’s Channel 12 — that his upcoming address at the Knesset will focus on “love and peace for eternity.” The president credited the June strikes on Iran, which he authorized the US to join briefly, as a key factor in paving the way for the ceasefire agreement. According to Channel 12, Trump argued that the attacks weakened Hamas’s main backer and “lifted the black cloud” surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which he claimed were just weeks away from a weapon. This, he said, helped bring more Arab nations to the table in support of the deal. Trump also said he had watched parts of the large rally in Hostages Square on Saturday night, where his special envoy Steve Witkoff, daughter Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke. “It was an incredible rally. It was a great thing. Everybody is thrilled,” he said. According to *xios, Trump “sounded enthusiastic” about the upcoming peace conference in Egypt, which will take place after his visit to Israel. The president expressed satisfaction that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will participate, though he said he does not know why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not attending, noting that Egypt was responsible for the invitations.

Klal Yisroel’s Baal Chesed Shai Groucher seen at Kever Yosef Hatzadik in Shechem Davening for the safe return of the hostages.

People on Tel Aviv beach rise early to set up a large “HOME” sign, visible for the arriving helicopters.

Preparations are underway at an Israeli prison for the upcoming release of terrorists in exchange for hostages, with the exchanges expected to take place within the next few hours.

Singing for the sake of my brothers and friends now at the Nova site: Over 1,000 worshippers have already arrived for the Hallel prayer that will be held at the site in a prayer for victory and the safe return of all the hostages, led by the Hope Forum and Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.

Mahmoud Kawasmeh, a senior Hamas operative and one of the group’s most notorious killers, was reportedly added at the last minute to the roster of prisoners to be released under the current hostage exchange agreement.

Kawasmeh was the architect behind the 2014 abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers — Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Sha’ar, and Eyal Yifrah — an atrocity that ignited Israel’s Operation Protective Edge.

He had previously gained freedom in the Gilad Shalit prisoner deal but was expelled to Gaza, where he resumed orchestrating terror attacks, including the one that horrified Israelis and led to widespread military retaliation.

Amid the ongoing war, Israeli forces captured Kawasmeh during a military operation at Shifa Hospital, where he had been hiding.

Government officials were briefed that his name was added to the list of prisoners to be released due to his “promoting military activities against Judea and Samaria.”

Another individual scheduled for release is Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Kunba, who was convicted for the murder of Rabbi Raziel Shevach and had been serving a life sentence. As part of the terms of the agreement, Kunba will be deported to another country.

Also included is Mahmoud Musa Issa Issa, the terrorist behind the abduction and killing of Nissim Toledano, as well as a perpetrator of a vehicular ramming that claimed the lives of two IDF soldiers.

Ra’ad Ahmad Abdullah Abu Daher, sentenced to life for his role as an explosives expert and for dispatching suicide bombers to carry out deadly missions, is likewise on the list. Unlike others, Abu Daher will not be deported but will remain in the region after his release.

{Matzav.com}

In a striking show of unity across party lines, Hillary Clinton offered unexpected praise to President Donald Trump for his leadership in achieving the Gaza peace deal, which aims to conclude two years of conflict in the region.

“I really commend President Trump and his administration,” Clinton told CBS News 24/7 on Friday. She also applauded Arab leaders for supporting the 20-point plan, calling it “a path forward for what’s often called the day after.”

Clinton’s comments came a day after Hamas accepted Trump’s peace initiative, which provides for the release of the remaining 48 Israeli hostages as early as Monday, along with a gradual pullout of Israeli troops from Gaza.

As someone who long promoted a two-state solution while serving under President Barack Obama, Clinton encouraged Trump’s team to maintain oversight and ensure responsibility on all sides — Israel, Gaza, and the broader international community.

“Let’s now support this process and bring it together, not just in a nonpartisan way in our own country, but literally internationally as a great global commitment to try to bring peace, security, stability and a better future to the Middle East,” she said during the interview.

She went on to highlight what she viewed as a key tactical success by the Trump administration — convincing Israel to rejoin negotiations after the targeted elimination of Hamas leaders during September’s talks in Qatar.

The praise marked an uncommon departure from Clinton’s usual criticism of Trump, whom she has sparred with ever since their bitter 2016 presidential race. Over the years, she has routinely denounced his leadership and motives.

At one point, Clinton warned that Trump “is a clear and present danger to America” and said she was “convinced” that members of his campaign conspired with Russia to undermine her run for the White House.

She had also condemned Trump’s decision to withhold certification of the Iran nuclear agreement, calling his threats to abandon it “dangerous” and accusing him of eroding America’s credibility in the eyes of other nations.

In her memoir published after the election, Clinton described one particularly uncomfortable moment during a 2016 presidential debate in St. Louis.

“No matter where I walked, he followed me closely, staring at me, making faces,” Clinton wrote. “It was incredibly uncomfortable.”

“My skin crawled,” she added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will award President Trump the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, the highest civilian honor in Israel, formally notifying him of the decision during their meeting at the Knesset today, with the presentation scheduled in the coming months at a time and place to be determined.

Hostage Bar Kuperstein will return home to an incredible surprise: his father, who had been paralyzed and unable to speak following an accident, has spent the past two years learning to walk and talk again—determined to be able to hug his son and tell him he missed him.

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Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad charged that Israel was altering the names of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for release as part of the developing ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. Speaking from Cairo on Sunday night in an interview with Al Jazeera, Hamad alleged that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would “return to aggression” in Gaza unless sustained pressure was applied by the international community.

He appealed to Arab governments and mediating nations to “restrain the Zionist madness” and guarantee the agreement was fully carried out.

According to Hamad, Hamas was working with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and staying in contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to implement the exchange “as stated in the agreement.” However, he claimed that Israel’s slow response to verifying names in the submitted documents was hindering progress.

Despite these accusations, Hamad maintained that the situation was “moving in a good direction” and vowed that Hamas would “do everything we can” to ensure that both the prisoner exchange and the broader ceasefire arrangement succeed.

His remarks came as disputes intensified over the list of prisoners. Israel’s Justice Ministry publicly released 250 names of Palestinian detainees designated for release, while Palestinian representatives insisted that no definitive list had been finalized, reflecting persistent disagreements over who qualified for release and in what order.

Al Jazeera Arabic echoed the Palestinian position, reporting that Israel was attempting to dictate terms of the prisoner releases. The outlet cited sources saying that Hamas was still working through Cairo, Doha, and Ankara to revise the list issued by Israel.

The ICRC, emphasizing its neutrality, reaffirmed that any exchange of prisoners and hostages must take place in a manner that guarantees safety and dignity, with careful oversight of transfers and reunifications under the ceasefire structure.

These statements coincided with Israel and Hamas preparing to advance to the next step of the accord. Israeli and international sources indicated that 20 Israeli hostages were set to be freed on Monday, alongside a large-scale Palestinian prisoner release, within a framework facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.

Hamad’s comments also echoed Hamas’s past rhetoric describing Netanyahu as a “war criminal,” language the group has routinely used in rejecting Israel’s conditions linked to disarmament or future governance in Gaza.

As part of the truce arrangements reported over the weekend, Israel began transferring detainees in anticipation of the releases while humanitarian groups ramped up aid operations within Gaza. Yet arguments over specific names and classifications of prisoners persisted, including some last-minute modifications sanctioned by Israel’s cabinet to the initial groups approved for release.

{Matzav.com}

On the road to Nova along Route 232, people are already gathering at the site. Hundreds are engaged in prayer, learning, and song, with thousands more expected to arrive.

Crowds have gathered in the Re’im parking area ahead of the anticipated release of the hostages, breaking out in songs from Hallel.

Footage shows a convoy of Israel Prison Service vehicles heading to the facilities where Palestinian prisoners will be released as part of the hostage-prisoner exchange deal.