Hamas on Monday released all 20 living hostages still being held since the October, 2023 attacks in Israel, marking a major milestone in the first phase of a Middle East peace deal to end the fighting in Gaza.
Israeli officials confirmed that Hamas had transferred all 20 remaining hostages to the custody of the Red Cross. Seven were released initially, followed by 13 others. The hostages were accompanied by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and were set to undergo medical assessments.
“The commanders and soldiers of the IDF salute and embrace the returning hostages as they make their way home to the State of Israel,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, a spokesperson for the IDF, posted on X.
Hamas, the militant group that rules over Gaza, kidnapped 251 people during its terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas is expected to release the bodies of 26 hostages who have been declared dead as part of the first phase of the peace agreement.
Israel is also expected to release roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement.
“I wondered if I would ever see this day,” President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff,posted on X. “It’s deeply gratifying to know that so many families will finally have their loved ones home. Today, twenty families are spared the unbearable pain of not knowing if they will ever see their loved ones again. But even in this moment of relief and happiness, my heart aches for those whose loved ones will not return alive. Bringing their bodies home is a must and an act of dignity and honors their memory forever.”
Trump was scheduled to meet privately with families of the hostages during his whirlwind trip to Israel, which also included remarks to Israeli leaders at the Knesset. He will then travel to Egypt for a signing ceremony of the peace deal.
“The war is over,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the Middle East, even as experts and some members of his own administration have cautioned that it is merely phase one of a peace deal that requires both Hamas and Israel to hold up their sides of the arrangement.
