Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages on Monday under a ceasefire deal, a major step towards ending two years of ruinous war in Gaza, as US President Donald Trump addressed Israel’s parliament urging the country to turn military success into peace.
The Israeli military said it had received all hostages confirmed to be alive after their transfer from Gaza by the Red Cross, prompting cheering, hugging and weeping among thousands waiting at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv.
Some of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed by Israel as part of the accord, ahead of a summit in Egypt to cement the ceasefire, began arriving in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, some hoisted on the shoulders of delighted relatives.
Trump addresses Israeli parliament
“The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” Trump told the Knesset, saying a “long nightmare” for both Israelis and Palestinians was over.
“Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East,” he said before departing for Egypt to attend a peace summit.
However, formidable obstacles remain to a lasting resolution of the Gaza war, let alone to the wider, generations-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict or other deep divisions in the region.
Friends and families of the released hostages, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, gather outside Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel on October 13, 2025. REUTERS
Follow-up summit to address Gaza’s future
The release of hostages and Palestinian detainees marked the first phase of the Gaza accord concluded last week in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Monday’s summit will take place.
Over 20 world leaders are expected to discuss how to implement the next steps under Trump’s 20-point peace blueprint.
The deal came two years after the October 7, 2023 cross-border Hamas assault that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage — the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Israeli airstrikes, bombardments and ground offensives have since killed over 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and laid waste to much of the enclave.
A global hunger monitor said Gaza City and surrounding areas are suffering from famine affecting over half a million people, while most of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents are homeless.
Aid flows are expected to improve under Trump’s plan. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher emphasized the need to “get shelter and fuel to people who desperately need it and massively scale up food, medicine and other supplies.”
The war has also reshaped the Middle East, triggering clashes between Israel and Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.
Trump also floated the idea of a peace deal between arch-enemies Iran and Israel, telling the Knesset: “I think Iran wants it. Wouldn’t it be nice?”
Joy, relief on both sides
Beaming with relief, two freed hostages waved to cheering crowds from vans on their way to an Israeli hospital — one holding a large Israeli flag, another forming a heart with his hands.
Video footage showed emotional scenes of families receiving phone calls from loved ones as they were being released, their faces lighting up with disbelief after months of anguish.
“I am so excited. I am full of happiness. It’s hard to imagine how I feel this moment. I didn’t sleep all night,” said Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, as she travelled to Reim, an Israeli military base where the hostages were transferred.
Most of the freed Palestinians were detained during the war, but 250 were serving sentences or awaiting trial for deadly attacks or security offences.
Thousands gathered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, waving Palestinian flags and holding photos of relatives.
“I am happy for our sons who are being freed, but we are still in pain for all those killed and all the destruction in Gaza,” said one woman, identifying herself as Um Ahmed.
Likely pitfalls
Washington brokered the agreement alongside Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. The next phase will establish an international “Board of Peace” led by Trump.
Also Read: Hamas warns tough talks ahead
Much could still go wrong. Key issues remain unresolved, including who will govern Gaza once fighting ends and the future role of Hamas.
Hamas gunmen carried out a security crackdown in Gaza City after Israel’s pullback, killing 32 members of a rival group, a Palestinian security source said.
As he entered the Knesset, Trump said Hamas had agreed to disarm under his plan, although the group has previously rejected this without Palestinian statehood.
Trump’s envoys met Hamas negotiators in Sharm el-Sheikh before the ceasefire was finalized, a senior Palestinian official said.
Further challenges include Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and moves toward an adjacent Palestinian state — an outcome many Israelis oppose.
The bodies of 26 confirmed dead hostages, and two others whose fate was unknown, will also be returned Monday. A committee has been formed to locate remains believed buried in Gaza’s rubble.
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