Quick highlights
- Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages held since October 2023, completing the transfer early on October 13, 2025.
- The releases were part of a wider ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal that also includes the handover of up to 28 deceased hostages and the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
- The Red Cross supervised the multi-phase handovers; Israeli forces received the freed hostages in stages and reunited them with families in Tel Aviv’s “Hostages Square.”
- U.S. President Donald Trump, who played a central diplomatic role in brokering the deal, arrived in Israel and will co-chair a regional peace summit in Egypt; leaders called for momentum toward lasting calm.
What happened
On October 13, 2025, Hamas handed over the last groups of living Israeli hostages to Red Cross teams in Gaza; those hostages were then transferred to Israeli authorities and flown back into Israeli territory. This completes more than two years of captivity for these people, many of whom were taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The exchange is embedded in a broader ceasefire agreement. Besides the living hostages, the deal includes returning the remains of dozens of dead hostages and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (including several serving long sentences). International mediators and humanitarian organisations are involved in monitoring the transfers.
Why it matters
- Human: Families who’ve lived uncertain for 780+ days now have answers, reunions, and grieving begins.
- Political: The deal is a diplomatic milestone that creates space for a regional summit and discussions about Gaza’s future, demilitarisation, and humanitarian aid.
- Security: The agreement is fragile; disarmament, prisoner lists, and long-term enforcement are unresolved and will determine if the ceasefire holds.
After more than two years, all living Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been freed as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal. The handovers overseen by the Red Cross and followed by emotional reunions in Israel open a narrow diplomatic window for a regional peace push, but key issues (disarmament, prisoner lists, long-term security and governance in Gaza) remain unresolved and will shape whether the calm endures.
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