All 磁力羆remaining living hostages return to Israel as release of Palestinian prisoners begins

JERUSALEM -- T磁力羆he Israeli military announced on Monday that all remaining living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now in Israel, as the country began releasing Palestinian prisoners.

The military said in a statement that the final group of 13 hostages had crossed the border into Israeli territory. Earlier in the day, the first group of seven hostages returned to Israel after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip.

As part of the exchange, Israel began releasing about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners, Israel's state-owned Army Radio reported. Video footage showed white buses bearing the Red Cross logo arriving in Ramallah city in the occupied West Bank.

The releases a磁力羆re a central part of the newly implemented Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which took effect on Friday.