Tel Aviv/Gaza City, October 13, 2025 – In a moment that has eluded negotiators for nearly two years, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced early Monday morning the initiation of the hostage release process from the Gaza Strip, marking the culmination of phase one in a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The development, confirmed by Israeli Channel 12 and I24 News, signals a potential turning point in the protracted Gaza conflict, which has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives and more than 1,200 Israeli fatalities since Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault.
According to reports from Israeli media outlets, seven hostages were the first to be handed over to ICRC teams in northern Gaza City around 8 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET). These initial transfers occurred at discreet handover points in Nuseirat and Khan Younis, where Red Cross vehicles, marked with their signature white flags emblazoned with red crosses, collected the captives without the fanfare of previous releases. I24 News swiftly published the names of the released individuals, identifying them as Alon Ohel, 26, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen abducted from the Nova music festival; Matan Angrest, 28, a security consultant taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz; brothers Gali Berman, 24, and Ziv Berman, 26, both festivalgoers; Eitan Mor, 32, a farmer from Kibbutz Be'eri; and Omri Miran, 19, a soldier captured during the initial incursion. Eyewitness accounts from ICRC personnel, shared via secure channels with international monitors, described the hostages as ambulatory and in varying states of health, with medical evaluations pending their arrival at Re'im military base in southern Israel.
The broader exchange envisions the release of all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages—out of the original 251 seized on October 7, 2023—in return for more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli facilities. This includes 250 individuals serving life sentences for terrorism-related convictions and approximately 1,722 detainees captured during the war, among them 22 minors. Hamas, in a statement issued via its Al-Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, confirmed the handovers and emphasized that the process adheres strictly to the agreement's stipulations, including no public ceremonies to avoid politicization. The group also published a full list of the 20 living hostages, underscoring their commitment to the phased rollout, with the remains of deceased captives to follow by noon, though logistical challenges in locating some bodies may extend this deadline.
This latest truce, the third major cessation since the war's onset, stems from President Donald J. Trump's ambitious 20-point peace plan unveiled on October 8, 2025. Brokered through intensive talks in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh resort—mediated by Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the U.S.—the framework prioritizes immediate humanitarian relief, phased Israeli withdrawals, and reciprocal releases to build momentum toward a permanent end to hostilities. Trump, addressing reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Israel, hailed the progress as "a very big day," predicting the war's conclusion and vowing to oversee the process personally during a subsequent Gaza peace summit in Egypt on October 14. "The whole world came together around this deal," he remarked, crediting his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner for bridging irreconcilable gaps.
The ceasefire activated at 12 p.m. local time on October 10, prompting an immediate surge in humanitarian aid. Over the weekend, more than 400 trucks laden with food, medical supplies, and fuel crossed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, the first unrestricted influx since early 2024. United Nations officials, including spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, reported that these convoys have already distributed essentials to over 200,000 displaced residents in southern Gaza, with plans to scale up to 700 daily trucks by mid-week. Displaced Palestinians, many trekking northward along the coastal Al-Rashid road, expressed a mix of trepidation and relief as they returned to ruined homes in Gaza City and Khan Younis. "I heard my home was destroyed, but I'm hoping to salvage something," said Rami Hamda, a 45-year-old father of four, amid scenes of families sifting through rubble under clear skies for the first time in months.
In Israel, the atmosphere was one of cautious jubilation tempered by grief. At Tel Aviv's Hostages and Missing Families Forum square—adorned with faded posters of the captives—hundreds gathered for emotional vigils. Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, whose name appeared on Hamas's release list, clutched a photo of her son, tears streaming as she recounted the 737 days of agony. "We've waited so long; this is our miracle," she told reporters, her voice breaking. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the Knesset ahead of Trump's anticipated speech, described the deal as a "strategic victory" while cautioning that "Hamas's threats persist." His cabinet's approval on October 9 came after heated debates, with far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir initially threatening to bolt the coalition over concerns that the agreement spares Hamas's governance structure. Ultimately, the vote passed 12-3, unlocking the 24-hour countdown to ceasefire and the subsequent 72-hour window for releases.
The path to this agreement was labyrinthine, weaving through multiple false starts. The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants breached Israel's border, killing 1,200 and abducting 251—civilians, soldiers, and foreigners alike—from kibbutzim, a music festival, and military outposts. Israel's retaliatory campaign leveled much of Gaza, displacing 90% of its 2.3 million residents and triggering famine warnings from the World Food Programme. Earlier truces offered fleeting respite: A November 2023 pause freed 105 Israelis for 240 Palestinians; a January-March 2025 armistice saw 33 Israelis and five Thais exchanged for 2,000 prisoners, including women and children. Yet, both collapsed amid mutual accusations of violations—Israel resuming airstrikes, Hamas rocket fire—leaving 48 captives, 20 believed alive, in limbo.
Trump's intervention, leveraging his administration's "maximum pressure" on Iran and backchannel ties to Gulf states, reframed the stalemate. The 20-point plan outlines: (1) Immediate hostage-prisoner swaps and aid corridors; (2) Partial Israeli withdrawal to a "yellow line" securing 53% of Gaza; (3) An international stabilization force, comprising U.S., Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish, and Emirati troops, to monitor compliance without entering Gaza proper; (4) Reconstruction phased over three to five years, funded by a $50 billion international consortium; and (5) Talks on Hamas disarmament and Gaza's governance, potentially under a technocratic Palestinian Authority with UN oversight. Notably absent: Explicit Israeli commitments to lift the Gaza blockade or recognize Palestinian statehood, concessions Hamas decried but accepted provisionally.
Global reactions poured in, blending optimism with skepticism. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljarić called it a "turning point in two years of unimaginable horror," pledging her organization's neutrality in facilitating transfers. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged "full backing" from the Security Council, warning that failure could "unleash renewed catastrophe." European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pledged reconstruction support, tying it to a two-state solution. In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia and Jordan hailed the deal at a Riyadh summit, while Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty positioned Sharm El-Sheikh as the "cradle of peace." Iran, however, boycotted the upcoming summit, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei labeling it a "Zionist trap" to sideline Tehran's proxies.
On the ground, the mechanics unfolded with precision. ICRC convoys, escorted by neutral observers, navigated Hamas-controlled tunnels and checkpoints to reach holding sites in Deir el-Balah and Jabalia. Each hostage underwent preliminary health checks—vital signs, hydration, psychological triage—before boarding armored ambulances bound for Khan Younis, where Israeli forces awaited at a secure perimeter. From there, Black Hawk helicopters ferried them to Re'im, site of the original abductions, for family reunions and hospital transfers to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. Concurrently, Palestinian prisoners—prioritizing women, children, and long-term detainees—were bused from Ofer and Megiddo prisons toward the West Bank, with 100 slated for immediate release there, 15 to East Jerusalem, and 135 to Gaza or third countries.
Yet, shadows linger. Israeli intelligence assesses that not all remains may be recoverable by Monday's deadline, potentially straining the deal's goodwill. Hamas insists on guarantees against post-release assassinations, citing past targeted killings of freed leaders. And phase two—encompassing full demilitarization and governance reforms—remains a minefield, with Netanyahu's coalition fractious and Hamas's military wing defiant. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, speaking on Fox News, acknowledged the somber reality: "Some hostages we may never get back," referencing the 28 presumed dead.
As dawn broke over the Mediterranean, the handover symbolized fragile hope. In Gaza, children played amid aid crates for the first time without distant booms; in Tel Aviv, yellow ribbons fluttered from balconies. For families like the Bermans, whose brothers' survival videos had sustained vigils, the wait ended not with triumph, but quiet sobs of recognition. Trump's summit in Egypt looms as the next crucible—will it forge enduring peace, or merely pause the inevitable? For now, 20 souls cross a border scarred by blood, carrying stories that demand the world listen.
