7 months ago
1
Israeli subject connected Monday (October 13, 2025) said each surviving hostages arsenic Hamas released each 20 remaining surviving hostages held successful Gaza connected Monday, arsenic portion of a ceasefire pausing 2 years of warfare that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had near scores of captives successful militant hands.
Seven of the hostages were released aboriginal Monday (October 13, 2025), portion the remaining 13 were freed a fewer hours later.
The 20 men were being reunited with their families and expected to acquisition aesculapian checks.
The bodies of the remaining 28 dormant hostages are besides expected to beryllium handed implicit arsenic portion of the deal, though the nonstop timing remained unclear.
Families and friends of the hostages who gathered successful a quadrate successful Tel Aviv broke into chaotic cheers arsenic Israeli tv channels announced that the archetypal radical of hostages was successful the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers astatine nationalist screenings crossed the country.
Israel released the archetypal photos of hostages arriving home, including 1 showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing arsenic they were reunited. Hostages antecedently released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.
The photos of the archetypal 7 hostages released Monday (October 13, 2025) showed them looking airy but little gaunt than immoderate of the hostages freed successful January.
Palestinians, meanwhile, awaited the merchandise of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. In the West Bank, an armoured conveyance flying an Israeli emblem fired teardrop state and rubber bullets astatine a assemblage waiting adjacent Ofer Prison. As drones buzzed overhead, the radical scattered.
The teardrop state followed the circulation of a flier informing that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organisations” risked arrest. Israel's subject did not respond to questions astir the flier, which The Associated Press obtained connected site.
While large questions stay astir the aboriginal of Hamas and Gaza, the speech of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest warfare ever betwixt Israel and the militant group.
The ceasefire is besides expected to beryllium accompanied by a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived successful the region, wherever helium plans to sermon the U.S.-proposed woody and postwar plans with different leaders.
The warfare began erstwhile Hamas-led militants launched a astonishment onslaught connected confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023, successful which immoderate 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.
In Israel's ensuing offensive, much than 67,000 Palestinians person been killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate betwixt civilians and combatants but says astir fractional the dormant were women and children. The ministry is portion of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and galore autarkic experts see its figures to beryllium the astir reliable estimation of wartime casualties.
The toll is expected to turn arsenic bodies are pulled from rubble antecedently made inaccessible by fighting.
The warfare has destroyed ample swaths of Gaza and displaced astir 90% of its immoderate 2 cardinal residents. It has besides triggered different conflicts successful the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
