Hamas frees first 7 hostages ahead of Trump’s Israel visit; remaining 13 due today under ceasefire
Hamas released seven Israeli hostages shortly before President Trump landed in Israel, with 13 more expected to be handed over later Monday under the ceasefire’s first-phase timeline — a coordinated swap tied to the release of Palestinian prisoners, a partial IDF pullback and a surge of humanitarian aid. Trump, who will meet hostage families, address the Knesset and then travel to Egypt to co‑lead a Sharm el‑Sheikh summit of more than 20 world leaders, is slated to welcome the released hostages as part of efforts to oversee the deal.
Politics
International
War & Conflict
📌 Key Facts
- Hamas released seven Israeli hostages shortly before President Trump’s landing in Israel; 13 more were expected later that morning, completing the planned transfer of 20 living hostages under the ceasefire’s first phase.
- The ceasefire’s first phase calls for the release of up to 48 hostages (about 20 believed alive), the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners (Axios cites roughly 250 long‑term prisoners plus about 1,700 Gaza detainees), a surge in humanitarian aid, and a partial Israeli Defense Forces pullback from Gaza’s main cities.
- Israeli troops withdrew from parts of Gaza to start a 72‑hour window for Hamas to hand over hostages and remains (about 28 bodies); the agreement includes a multinational task force to locate and recover remains, including two Americans.
- President Trump traveled to Israel to meet hostage families, address the Knesset (a rare invitation), and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then planned to fly to Egypt to co‑lead a Sharm el‑Sheikh summit with President el‑Sissi before returning to Washington to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- The Sharm el‑Sheikh summit is expected to host more than 20 world leaders and the U.N. secretary‑general, with leaders from the U.K., France, Italy and Spain listed among attendees; it was unclear whether Israeli or Palestinian representatives would both attend, though Mahmoud Abbas was expected.
- Egypt publicly committed to supporting and contributing troops to a U.N.‑mandated international Gaza force, said it is training (with Jordan) as many as 5,000 Palestinians for security deployment in Gaza, and helped prepare for an aid scale‑up (operational targets cited up to 600 trucks/day, with 400 Egyptian trucks expected Sunday).
- The U.S. plan includes a proposed "Board of Peace" to supervise Gaza reconstruction and governance — reportedly to be chaired by President Trump, with participants such as Tony Blair and a technocratic Palestinian committee handling day‑to‑day governance — and envisions reconstruction funded by wealthy regional states.
- Trump publicly declared “The war is over,” said some hostages might be released earlier than signaled, said he would welcome released hostages in person, and asserted his prior actions (including a June order against Iran’s nuclear facilities) helped enable the Gaza deal by weakening Tehran’s backing for Hamas.
📚 Contextual Background
- The proposed plan specified that Hamas would release the remaining hostages taken on October 7, 2023 within 72 hours of an agreement, and that Israel would release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences plus 1,700 other Gazans detained after the start of the conflict as part of the exchange.
- A 2025 U.S. peace plan linked a hostage release to a reciprocal exchange involving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
- U.S. officials in 2025 described a two-phase approach to ceasefire negotiations in which an initial hostage release would be followed by an Israeli military pullback to a previously held boundary position, while decisions about Gaza's future governing structure could be negotiated concurrently.
- A peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump called for Hamas to free all remaining hostages and for the Israeli military to begin withdrawing from parts of Gaza in phases; the plan also proposed transferring parts of Gaza to a "technocratic" Palestinian committee and deploying a temporary security force backed by Arab states.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Playbook: Trump’s full-court stress test
"The Politico Playbook piece frames Trump’s simultaneous Israel/Egypt diplomatic push as a potentially major win that is being stress‑tested — and possibly undermined — by concurrent domestic crises (shutdown, layoffs, legal and trade confrontations), praising the diplomatic stakes while warning that governance failures at home could negate the benefits."
📰 Sources (11)
Hamas releases 7 Israeli hostages as part of Gaza peace deal
New information:
- Seven Israeli hostages were released shortly before President Trump’s landing in Israel, with 13 more expected later in the morning.
- The agreement’s implementation includes a multinational task force to locate 28 deceased hostages’ remains, including two Americans.
- Specific prisoner-exchange figures: 250 lifers (excluding ~two dozen) and 1,700 Gaza detainees to be released by Israel.
Trump to Axios: Gaza deal might by my biggest accomplishment
New information:
- Trump says the Gaza deal "could be the biggest thing I was ever involved in" and his Knesset message will be "Love and peace for eternity" (direct quotes).
- He confirms he will meet hostage families and PM Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel stop.
- Axios reports Israel was preparing for the imminent release of the last 20 live hostages held by Hamas.
- Trump says he is enthusiastic about Monday's Sharm el‑Sheikh conference and cites broad international attendance as validation of his plan.
- He notes Netanyahu is not expected to attend the Egypt conference (says the hosts set the guest list) and welcomes Mahmoud Abbas' expected attendance.
- Trump claims his June order to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities helped enable the Gaza deal by weakening Tehran’s backing for Hamas.
Trump starts week in Middle East, overseeing historic peace agreement
New information:
- Trump publicly declared, “The war is over,” before departing Joint Base Andrews for Israel.
- He said some hostages could be released earlier than previously signaled.
- Trump praised Netanyahu’s role, saying the Israeli PM did a “very good job” securing the deal.
- An Egyptian presidential spokesperson (via Reuters) said more than 20 world leaders will attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.
- Schedule specificity: Trump will meet families of hostages, address the Knesset, then fly to Egypt on Monday before returning to Washington early Tuesday.
Trump says Hamas may release 20 hostages ‘a little bit early’ as he heads to Middle East
New information:
- While traveling to the region on Oct. 12, Trump said Hamas may release 20 hostages earlier than planned.
- The remark is a timing update aligned with his in-person diplomatic push in Israel/Egypt.
Trump leaves for a visit to Israel, and will later co-chair a meeting in Egypt on the Gaza peace plan.
New information:
- Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said all 20 living hostages are expected to be released at one time to the Red Cross early Monday and initially transferred to the Re’im military base for reunions.
- Vice President JD Vance said Trump plans to welcome the released hostages in person and cautioned some remains of deceased hostages may never be recovered.
- The Egypt summit at Sharm el-Sheikh will include more than 20 countries, the UN secretary-general, and leaders of the UK, France, Italy, and Spain; it remains unclear whether Israeli or Palestinian representatives will attend.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said he will pay “particular tribute” to President Trump at the summit.
Netanyahu advisor expresses 'deep faith' in Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan framework approach
New information:
- Introduces details of a 'Board of Peace' chaired by President Trump to supervise Gaza’s reconstruction and governance.
- Names Tony Blair as a participant on the board and describes a technocratic Palestinian committee for day-to-day governance.
- Provides Israeli security assessments of IDF positions post-pullback and the strategic importance of the Philadelphi Corridor.
Transcript: Badr Abdelatty on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Oct. 12, 2025
New information:
- Ahead of Trump’s Sharm el‑Sheikh meeting, Egypt publicly commits to supporting and contributing troops to a Gaza international force under a UN Security Council mandate.
- Egypt discloses active training (with Jordan) of up to 5,000 Palestinians for security deployment in Gaza.
Israel says it expects hostages, Palestinian detainees to be released on Monday
New information:
- Israel’s government now expects all 20 living hostages to be released Monday in a single coordinated transfer, aligning with the ceasefire’s first-phase timeline referenced ahead of President Trump’s visit.
- Operational details on aid scale-up (600 trucks/day target; 400 Egyptian trucks Sunday) add context to the environment surrounding the planned presidential visit.
Trump prepares for Middle East trip to highlight ceasefire agreement
New information:
- Trump has been invited to address Israel’s Knesset — a rarity last extended to a U.S. president (George W. Bush) in 2008.
- Israeli troops finished withdrawing from parts of Gaza on Friday, starting a 72-hour clock for Hamas to release hostages.
- Trump said he expects remaining hostages’ return to be completed Monday or Tuesday, possibly while he is on the ground.
- He will travel on to Egypt to co-lead a Sharm el-Sheikh summit with President el-Sissi, with leaders from more than 20 countries.
- Article reiterates first-phase terms: release of 48 hostages (about 20 believed alive), hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, surge of aid, and partial IDF pullback from Gaza’s main cities.
- New on-record quotes from Trump about rebuilding Gaza with funding from wealthy regional states.
Trump plans whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt before rushing back to White House for Charlie Kirk honor
New information:
- Trump, in Oval Office remarks, confirms a quick trip to Israel to address the Knesset and then to Egypt before returning to Washington.
- He says the 72-hour window for Hamas to hand over 48 hostages and approximately 28 bodies began Friday night local time.
- Egypt will host an international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday with more than 20 world leaders expected, per an Egyptian spokesperson cited via Reuters.
- Trump adds he will return Tuesday, Oct. 14, to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late Charlie Kirk at the White House East Room.