U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing in Washington, DC, U.S., October 1, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump plans to welcome Israeli hostages “in person” after they are freed by the Gaza terror group Hamas, Vice President JD Vance said Sunday.
Trump is expected to fly to Israel on Sunday afternoon.
Vance confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that Hamas said it was holding 20 live hostages.
Vance, in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” said the hostages would be released “at any moment.”
Trump plans to “greet the hostages Monday morning Middle East time, which should be late, you know, Sunday night or very early Monday morning here in the United States,” he said.
The planned release of the hostages comes days after the Israeli government approved the first phase of a peace deal with Hamas.
Hamas took around 250 people hostage during its attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, sparking a two-year war that devastated that Palestinian territory.
Vance called the release of the hostages a “monumental thing.”
“It’s obviously great for their families,” he said. “But I really think it shows what happens when you step outside of traditional diplomatic channels that have failed and actually try something new.”
In another appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Vance said he did not expect Israel to be able to recover the remains of the dead Hamas hostages.
“I think we’ll get most of the bodies back eventually, but we won’t get them all,” Vance said.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
