Gaza - Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli captives on Monday under a ceasefire agreement, as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders geared up for a summit on Gaza.

In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support families of Israeli captives erupted in joy, tears, and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain for the loss of those who had not survived was palpable.

The releases are part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump, with Israel due in return to free nearly 2,000 Palestinians in its jails in exchange.

The handover came as Trump arrived in Israel for a lightning visit ahead of a trip to Egypt for a peace summit, having declared the war "over."

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"According to information provided by the Red Cross, seven hostages have been transferred into their custody, and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military and security service said.

Citing an Israeli official, the country's public broadcaster later reported the release of 13 other captives.

Among those gathered on Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Noga shared her pain and joy with AFP. "I'm torn between emotion and sadness for those who won't be coming back," she said.

The reunions came as Israel has killed at least 67,806 people in Gaza since October 2023, according to the territory's health ministry, though the true number is believed to be far higher.

Israel has said it does not expect all of the dead captives to be returned on Monday.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas was due to return the bodies of the 27 Israeli prisoners who died in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014.

Among the Palestinian prisoners set for release are around 1,700 people detained by Israel in Gaza over the last two years.

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In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with much of the territory flattened due to Israeli siege and the ongoing occupation, the road to recovery remains long.

"I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling," 38-year-old Fatima Salem told AFP after she returned to her neighborhood in Gaza City.

"My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost – nothing looked the same, even the neighbors' houses were gone."

"Despite the exhaustion and fear, I felt like I was coming back to my safe place. I missed the smell of my home, even if it's now just rubble. We will pitch a tent next to it and wait for reconstruction."

Trump's visit to the Middle East aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week's ceasefire and prisoner release deal – but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One at the start of the "very special" visit, Trump brushed off concerns about whether the ceasefire would endure.

"I think it's going to hold. I think people are tired of it. It's been centuries," he said of the fighting.

"The war is over. Okay? You understand that?" the president added.

In Israel, Trump is due to meet the families of the newly released captives, before addressing the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem.

Trump announced in late September a 20-point plan for Gaza, which helped bring about the ceasefire.

Negotiators were still wrangling late Sunday over the final arrangements for the exchanges, with two Hamas sources telling AFP the group was insisting that Israel include seven senior Palestinian leaders on the list of those to be released.

Israel has previously rejected at least one of those names.

After visiting Israel, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of more than 20 world leaders to back his plan to end the war on Gaza and promote Middle East peace.

Trump will be looking to resolve some of the huge uncertainty around the next phases of the peace plan – including Hamas' refusal to disarm and Israel's failure to pledge a full withdrawal from the devastated territory.

Trump insisted he had "guarantees" from both sides and other key regional players about the initial phase of the deal, and the future stages.

Trump also said he would be "proud" to visit Gaza itself, but did not say when such a trip would be possible.

A new governing body for devastated Gaza – which Trump himself would head under his own plan – would be established "very quickly," he added.

Under the plan, as Israel conducts a partial withdrawal from Gaza, it will be replaced by a multi-national force coordinated by a US-led command center in Israel.