A displaced man walks past a Palestinian flag placed over the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. The Associated Press

CAIRO — Israel said Sunday it expected all living hostages held in Gaza to be released Monday in its breakthrough ceasefire deal with Hamas, as Palestinians awaited the release of hundreds of prisoners held in Israel and a surge of aid into the famine-stricken territory.

“In a few hours, we will all be reunited,” Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump planned to visit Israel and Egypt on Monday to celebrate the ceasefire announced last week in the two-year war.

“The war is over,” Trump asserted to reporters as he departed, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold. He said he would be “proud” to visit Gaza.

Living hostages expected first

Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said all 20 living hostages were expected to be released at one time to the Red Cross, then driven to a military base to reunite with families or, if needed, immediately to a hospital.

After the hostages are freed, Israel was ready to release about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and receive the 28 hostages believed to be dead.

An international task force will start working to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

“The reality is, some of the hostages we may never get back,” U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday would be a “path of healing.” Many Israelis have accused him of drawing out the war for political aims, which he has denied.

Timing has not been announced for the release of Palestinian prisoners. They include 250 people serving life sentences in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge.

A Palestinian official said a Hamas delegation was in Cairo speaking with mediators about the list of prisoners. The official said Hamas is pressing for the release of Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure, along with several others serving life sentences. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. There was no immediate comment from Israel, which views Barghouti as a terrorist leader.

Israel has warned Palestinians in the West Bank against celebrating after the releases, according to a prisoner’s family and a Palestinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. Israel’s military did not immediately respond to questions.

The United Nations late Sunday reported “real progress” on humanitarian aid in Gaza, saying it and partners distributed hundreds of thousands of hot meals and bread. Cooking gas entered the territory for the first time since March, during the previous ceasefire. The U.N. said Israel has now approved 190,000 metric tons of aid to enter, up from 170,000.