US President Donald Trump wrote of a ‘new beginning’ as he signed a visitor book at Israel’s parliament, ahead of a speech there on the Gaza peace deal and the freeing of Israeli captives.
Hamas has released all 20 of the living captives it had been holding in the Gaza Strip, with the release of about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners by Israel under way, as the two sides carry out the conditions of the ceasefire deal.
Cheers broke out in Israel early on Monday, as television channels announced that the first lot of seven captives had been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
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The Israeli military later confirmed that 13 more captives taken from Israel on October 7, 2023, who had been held in Gaza for more than two years, were also transferred.
Meanwhile, preparations for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails were progressing, with buses seen outside the Ofer military prison, in the occupied West Bank, where many of the Palestinian prisoners due to be released were held.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the prisoners would be released once Israel received confirmation that all the living captives were on Israeli territory.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post on X, identified the captives released in the first group as Guy Gilboa Dalal, 24, Eitan Mor, 25, Matan Angrest, 22, Alon Ohel, 24, Gali and Ziv Berman, both 28, and Omri Miran, 48.
Families were reunited with their loved ones before the released captives were flown to hospitals for medical treatment.
Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said the released captives were “reported to be in reasonable condition, walking without needing medical assistance”.
Ohel’s parents told The Times of Israel that their son “looks amazing” and is “standing on his own two feet”, while Mor’s mother told Ynet News that her son “looks great, although thin and pale”.
Earlier, Netanyahu’s spokesperson had said Israel expected that all living captives would be released before the 09:00 GMT deadline, under the terms of the ceasefire agreement proposed by United States President Donald Trump.
However, Israel does not expect the repatriation of the bodies of the remaining 28 captives to be completed on Monday, despite a 72-hour deadline agreed under the deal, the spokesperson said.
While key questions remain over the future of Gaza and Hamas’s role in the territory, the exchange of captives and prisoners has raised hopes for ending the devastating war, which has ravaged the enclave, with at least 67,806 people killed and 170,066 wounded in the Palestinian enclave.
The ceasefire is also expected to allow for a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where famine has broken out amid Israel’s bombardment and blockade of the territory. Many of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are reported to be on the brink of starvation.
Amid the transfers, Trump, whose administration played a leading role in putting together the deal, arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, where he was welcomed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu.
Trump is set to address the Israeli Knesset later on Monday, after which he will fly to Egypt to co-chair a summit on the ceasefire agreement.
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters as he left for Israel on Sunday, adding he thought the ceasefire would hold.
Reporting from Khan Younis, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said a designated medical point had been set up at the Nasser Medical Complex to offer medical checks to the returning Palestinian prisoners before they are reunited with their families.
Thousands of Palestinians had gathered outside the hospital waiting to welcome the released detainees, she said.
Waiting in Khan Younis was Yasser Abu Azzoum, whose 23-year-old son Mohammed was set to be released under the deal.
He told Al Jazeera the feeling was “indescribable”.
“I’m not able to speak properly because I am overwhelmed with joy,” Abu Azzoum said.
Palestinian prisoners released from Israel have been greeted by huge crowds in the occupied West Bank, as a prisoner and captive exchange took place on Monday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
A bus has crashed in a mountainous region in the north of South Africa, killing at least 42 people.
The vehicle veered off a steep mountain road on the N1 highway near the town of Makhado in Limpopo province on Sunday evening, before tumbling down an embankment and landing upside down.
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The vehicle was travelling from Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province to Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Emergency crews worked through the night to pull victims from the wreckage and transport survivors to nearby hospitals.
More than 30 injured passengers received medical treatment. Authorities said some people may still be trapped inside the overturned bus.
According to public broadcaster SABC, the dead included 18 women, 17 men and seven children.
A 10-month-old baby was among the victims, Violet Mathy, a transport official for the Limpopo province, told Newzroom Afrika.
The road, a major highway connecting South Africa to Zimbabwe, remained closed in both directions on Monday as rescue operations continued.
Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba visited the crash site before meeting survivors in hospital.
“Losing so many lives in one incident is painful beyond words,” she said, offering condolences to families in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
Authorities are investigating what caused the driver to lose control, with initial assessments pointing to possible fatigue or mechanical failure as potential factors.
The provincial government is providing counselling support to survivors while working with diplomatic missions from Zimbabwe and Malawi to assist bereaved families.
South Africa’s roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with thousands of people dying in crashes each year.
Vehicles carrying Palestinian detainees left Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank for Khan Younis, where crowds await the return of their loved ones. Nearly 2,000 prisoners are to be freed under the Hamas-Israel deal, many of whom were ‘forcibly disappeared’ from Gaza during the war, according to the UN.
Who: Nigeria vs Benin
What: CAF qualifiers for FIFA 2026 World Cup
Where: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria
When: Tuesday at 6pm (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
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Nigeria host Benin in the final matchday of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) first round, looking to steal direct qualification for next year’s tournament from the Group C leaders.
The Super Eagles’ task is momentous: Benin lead them by three points and by two on goal difference, making the fixture a must-win for the Nigerians if they want to have any chance of qualification, either as the group winners or as the runners-up who could potentially compete in November’s interconfederation playoff for a possible 10th African World Cup spot.
For Benin, the calculus is straightforward: win or draw against the three-time African champions and the Cheetahs make history and qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time. Even a loss against Nigeria – and if other Group C contenders South Africa draw or lose their final fixture – could still seal direct qualification for the team from the West African nation.
Here is all to know before the highly anticipated, final matchday showdown between Nigeria and Benin:
Late last month, Benin drew level with then-Group C leaders South Africa after they received a three-point deduction from FIFA for fielding an extra player in an earlier fixture and then took over the standings lead on Friday when Banfa Banfa played out a highly disappointing 0-0 draw against last-placed Zimbabwe on the ninth matchday.
Benin and Nigeria both won their matchday 9 fixtures on Friday, beating Rwanda (1-0) and Lesotho (2-1) respectively.
A Benin victory in Uyo would guarantee them a maiden World Cup appearance, while anything less could allow one of their two group rivals to leapfrog them.
Tuesday’s matchday 10 fixtures are the final group matches and will be played at the same time.
The plane carrying the Nigeria team from South Africa to Uyo for their final World Cup qualifier was forced to make an emergency landing in Angola on Saturday, their media representatives said.
The aircraft took off from Polokwane in South Africa and made a scheduled refuelling stop in the Angolan capital, Luanda, before heading for southern Nigeria.
But 25 minutes into that journey, the pilot was forced to return to Luanda “after a heavy crack on the aircraft’s windshield distorted what had started as a smooth flight”, the Super Eagles’ representative said.
Last month, South Africa were stripped of three points in their World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player, denting their hopes of reaching next year’s finals and handing a World Cup lifeline to the other Group C contenders, Benin and Nigeria.
FIFA said its disciplinary committee had found South Africa guilty of playing midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2-0 home win over Lesotho in March when he should have sat out the qualifier after two cautions in previous group games.
Lesotho have been awarded the match 3-0 and South Africa stripped of the points.
At the time of the announcement on September 29, South Africa were still top of the standings with 14 points, but only on goal difference from Benin with two games left. In the penultimate group fixtures, South Africa played out a draw and Benin won, enabling Benin (17) to lead Bafana Bafana (15) by two points with one matchday remaining.
Benin defeated Nigeria 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup fixture on June 10, 2024, at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Raphael Onyedika put Nigeria ahead in the 27th minute, but two Benin goals before half-time from Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie’s match-winner were enough to secure the three points for the Cheetahs.
African World Cup qualifying is arranged into nine groups of six nations.
The nine Confederation of African Football (CAF) group winners secure direct entry to the World Cup 2026, while the four best runners-up will participate in an intercontinental playoff for the possibility of securing a 10th spot at the tournament.
Of the nine African groups, five teams have already qualified for next year’s World Cup finals in North America: Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia. The remaining four will be decided on Tuesday.
CAF World Cup 2026 qualification dates:
Nigeria recalled previously injured star forward Victor Osimhen for their last FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho on Friday, and he will be on the pitch against Benin on Tuesday.
Osimhen, who plays for Turkish giants Galatasaray, says Nigeria enter the must-win encounter as underdogs.
“Against Benin, we will be underdogs, and Benin are the favourite to win. Because we have been playing a bad game for our standards, it just doesn’t come together,” he said.
“We cannot promise our fans much. But we will fight. This group keeps on giving – it doesn’t stop. We hope it will be our turn to be on top on Tuesday if we play our part as players. I don’t want to talk much about other things, but I am not happy [with] how we represent our country.”
In a big blow for coach Eric Chele, Ademola Lookman, the 2024 African Ballon d’Or winner, will be unavailable against Benin due to suspension.
Lookman, who plays for Italian club side Atalanta Bergamo, was booked for the second time in two matches in their 2-0 win against Lesotho on Friday, triggering a one-match ban for the talented forward.
Key defender Ola Aina will miss his second straight match for the Super Eagles as he recovers from an injury sustained against South Africa on September 9.
Chele will likely play his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Osimhen as the lone striker.
Coach Gernot Rohr will have a full squad available for selection against Nigeria.
Rohr regularly deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation with Mounie leading the line. Andreas Hountondji and Dossou will play key attacking roles just behind Mounie.
The backline of Tamimou Ouorou, Olivier Verdon, Yohan Roche and Mohamed Tijani is unchanged from their last match on Friday – a narrow 1-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali – with Marcel Dandjinou again the starting goalkeeper.
Nigeria have been to six FIFA World Cup finals but missed out on the most recent tournament in Qatar in 2022.
Nigeria: Nwabali (goalkeeper); Troost-Ekong, Fredrick, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Ndidi, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Simon; Osimhen, Arokodare
Benin: Dandjinou (goalkeeper); Ouorou, Verdon, Tijani, Roche; D’Almeida, Imourane; Dossou, Dokou, Hountondji; Mounie
Nigeria and Benin have played 12 times across all competitions since 2004.
Nigeria have won nine times, while Benin have two victories.
The sides have played out one draw.
Nigeria
L-W-W-D-W (all competitions, last result on the right)
Benin
L-L-W-W-W
Eric Chele, Nigeria head coach:
“The suspension [of Ademola Lookman] is unfortunate, but the team has the strength and character to win,” he said.
Gernot Rohr, Benin head coach:
“Yes, it will be a wonderful final in Uyo and it’s in our hands [to qualify for a historic first World Cup finals], which is unimaginable when you see Nigeria and South Africa behind us,” he said.
“But all can change in one game, the last game. So we are very humble and we know that we have to do it again, and it will be more difficult in Nigeria than in Rwanda. We know this, of course.”
