The final 20 living Israeli hostages are set to be released by Hamas in Gaza in a matter of hours, with preparations by Israeli defence and medical authorities to receive the captives after more than two years hidden away from the world.

The deadline for Hamas to release the captives is midday on Monday local time (8pm AEDT) — but the White House has suggested US President Donald Trump may meet some during a whistlestop tour of the region beginning on Monday morning.

Sources have told Israeli media the handovers could begin as early as 4am local time (midday AEDT), with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reportedly ready to provide a two-hour advance warning of the process beginning.

The ICRC is tasked with collecting the hostages from the militant group, and transporti

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