Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinians from its jails on Monday as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, prompting emotional scenes of families reunited with loved ones, some of whom had spent decades behind bars.

Among the 2,000 Palestinians freed in the Gaza ceasefire deal were 250 serving life terms for attacks on Israelis dating back decades.

Israel says it expects all of the 20 living hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be released Monday in its breakthrough ceasefire deal with Hamas.

The release of 48 Israeli hostages - 20 of whom are believed to be alive - is expected to start shortly, alongside the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Israeli forces have completed a pullback of troops from Gaza on Friday after Israel's Cabinet approved a plan for a ceasefire aimed at ending the devastating two-year war.

Two officials tell The Associated Press that food distribution sites run by the controversial U.S.-Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are being shut down under the terms of the ceasefire deal.

President Donald Trump has declared Israel’s war with Hamas over and sees the ceasefire as a chance for lasting peace in the Middle East

Hagar Chemali, former director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council joins to discuss the future of the middle east. President Donald Trump kicked off a global summit in Egypt on Gaza’s future,