Twenty living hostages were returned to Israel on Monday, marking the first stage of a landmark ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The deal is part of a broader plan mediated by US President Donald Trump's administration to halt the two-year conflict. Trump also flew to the Middle East and addressed the Knesset in Israel to mark the beginning of the peace accord. How were the hostages released? The Israeli military said the freed captives, all men, were reunited with their families and taken to hospitals for medical checks. Israel released images of the hostages returning home, including a photo of 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing as they were reunited after months in captivity in the Gaza Strip. Hostages freed earlier said the twins had been held separately. The photos of the first seven hostages released Monday show them appearing pale but less gaunt than those freed in January. Hamas initially released seven hostages, followed by 13 more. Under the agreement, Israel began freeing some of the more than 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. man greets Palestinian released by Israel as part of hostage swap and a ceasefire deal