This morning, Hamas began the release of the twenty hostages it held who were still alive. In the first stage, seven hostages were handed over to the Red Cross, which transferred them to the IDF: Eitan Mor, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Omri Meron, Ziv Berman, Gali Berman, and Matan Angrest. Hamas enabled the hostages to contact their families by video call. The remaining hostages are expected to be released in the course of the morning.
Israel is due to release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, and another 1,716 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, President Trump has arrived in Israel for a brief visit of a few hours. His plane flew over Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, which is thronged with people celebrating the hostages’ return. Trump was greeted at Ben Gurion Airport by President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and by US special envoy Steve Witkoff. He is due to address the Knesset, before flying on to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for a summit of world leaders on ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 13, 2025.
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