In a moment charged with emotion and hope for Middle East peace, the eyes of the world turned to Israel on Monday, October 13, 2025, as the first hostages held by Hamas were released — marking the beginning of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
A total of 20 living hostages were freed out of the 48 kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack on Israel. After two years in captivity, the survivors are finally returning to their families — a day many Israelis are calling “historic.”
The release operation began at 8 a.m., when the first seven hostages were handed over to the Red Cross and transported across the border into Israel. Photos released by officials showed visibly exhausted but smiling faces — among them Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal.
Following initial medical examinations by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) doctors, the freed hostages were taken to specialized rehabilitation and psychological support centers. Around 11 a.m., a second group of 13 hostages was also released, with the Red Cross confirming their safe transfer to the IDF and Israeli Security Agency (ISA).
Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, U.S. President Donald Trump landed at Ben Gurion Airport, greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a symbolic moment of unity. The two leaders exchanged a warm handshake before traveling to the Knesset, where Trump signed the visitors’ book, writing:
“This is a great and beautiful day. A new beginning.”
Trump became the fourth American president to address the Israeli parliament. In his speech, he called the day “a miracle of diplomacy” and declared that “the war in Gaza is over.”
“The war is over — do you understand that?” he said from Air Force One en route to Israel, expressing confidence that the ceasefire would hold.
Following his visit to Jerusalem, Trump is scheduled to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend the Gaza Peace Summit, where over 20 world leaders will meet to discuss long-term security and reconstruction. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is expected to present Trump with the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest honor, recognizing his “decisive role in ending the war.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also welcomed the release of the hostages, calling it “a major diplomatic success and a vital step toward peace.”
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square, large crowds gathered in celebration as the freed captives were reunited with their loved ones — an emotional scene after two years of fear and uncertainty. Many in the crowd waved Israeli flags and lit candles for those still missing.
For a nation long haunted by war and grief, the release of hostages and Trump’s dramatic arrival in Israel mark a rare moment of collective hope. As one senior IDF official said, “Perhaps today we are witnessing the first chapter of a new era in Gaza.”
