Israeli hostages could be freed “any moment now,” says Vice President JD Vance, amid reports of a possible early return.
By World Israel News Staff
Hamas could free the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip at “any moment,” Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday, a day before the scheduled return of the captives.
Speaking with NBC News, Vance appeared to echo uncertainty in Israel regarding the timing of the release of hostages from Gaza.
“It really should be any moment now,” Vance told NBC’s Meet the Press.
“The President of the United States is planning to travel to the Middle East to greet the hostages, Monday morning, Middle Eastern time.”
Vance acknowledged that the exact timing was unclear, while emphasizing that it was likely to take place before President Donald Trump arrives in Israel at 9:20 Monday morning.
“You can’t say exactly the moment they will be released, but we have every expectation…that he will be greeting the hostages,” Vance continued. “It is a monumental thing, it is great for their families.”
The vice president lauded Trump for helping to broker the deal, saying it represented a new kind of diplomacy.
“I really do think that it shows what happens when you go outside the traditional, failed diplomatic routes and actually try something new. It is kind of crazy to me…that in our entire history we have never had a president who was willing to sit down both with the Gulf Arab states and the Israelis to try and tap some unconventional people to just get a deal done.”
“We are right on the cusp of bringing these hostages home.”
Hamas has indicated it has prepared all 20 of the confirmed living hostages for return to Israel, adding that it would be willing to return them on Sunday, rather than Monday.
According to the BBC, Hamas has conditioned an early return on Israel agreeing to accept some of Hamas’ selections of senior terrorists to be freed after the hostages’ return.
Following the reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Israel is prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages.”
However, Israel has indicated the hostages will be returned Monday morning, beginning at 6:00 a.m.
According to Qatari media reports, the hostages will be returned to Israel from multiple sites across the Gaza Strip.
While Hamas is expected to return all 20 of the hostages known to still be alive, Channel 12 reported Sunday that some families of slain hostages have been informed that their relatives’ remains will not be brought back on Monday, given the difficulty in locating their bodies.
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