Tel Aviv, October 13: Hamas has begun handing over some of its last surviving Israeli hostages, marking a major step toward ending two years of devastating conflict in Gaza. The release is part of a ceasefire agreement facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Israel on Monday to address the Knesset.
Israel’s military confirmed it had received the first seven of 20 surviving hostages, transferred from Gaza by the Red Cross, as hundreds gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to cheer the milestone. Families expressed overwhelming relief and joy, with Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, saying, “I am so excited. I am full of happiness. It’s hard to imagine how I feel this moment. I didn’t sleep all night.”
The remaining 13 confirmed hostages, along with the bodies of 26 deceased hostages and two whose fate remains unknown, are expected to be released later Monday. The deal also includes the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.
In Gaza, masked members of Hamas’ armed wing prepared for the arrival of Palestinian prisoners at Nasser Hospital, with local residents hoping the exchange would signal the end of the war. “I hope that these images can be the end to this war. We lost friends and relatives, we lost our houses and our city,” said Emad Abu Joudat, a father of six from Gaza City.
The release is part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement reached last week in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where Trump and more than 20 world leaders are scheduled to meet. Shortly after the release was announced, Trump arrived in Israel, where he will address the parliament before heading to Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed him at the airport. Trump will become the fourth U.S. president to speak before the Knesset, following Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.
The two-year conflict has left Gaza in ruins and caused a massive humanitarian crisis, with nearly all of its population displaced. It has also reshaped regional dynamics, involving Israeli tensions with Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis.
Near Israel’s Reim camp, where the hostages will be taken for medical treatment, people lined the roads waving Israeli flags intertwined with yellow ribbons, the symbol of remembrance for the hostages. At Israeli prisons, around 1,966 Palestinian detainees boarded buses for transfer to Gaza, expected to arrive at Nasser Hospital later Monday.
Hamas’ armed wing reaffirmed its commitment to the terms and timeline of the ceasefire deal, contingent on Israel’s adherence. Israel agreed to the arrangement after its military offensive failed to secure the hostages’ release. Meanwhile, the U.N. agency UNRWA called on Israel to allow increased humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The conflict began with a Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostage. Israeli retaliatory airstrikes and ground assaults have since killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
