SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – All twenty surviving Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released as world leaders gather in Egypt for the signing of a landmark peace agreement aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas.
The development marks the first phase of a historic deal brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Egypt on Monday, October 13, 2025, following an address to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
A Landmark Exchange
The hostage release was part of a sweeping prisoner exchange under the peace plan, which includes the release of 250 prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,700 Palestinians detained since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
While the transfer of all living captives has been completed, only four bodies of the 28 hostages believed to have died in Gaza were returned.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum condemned the partial return as a “violation of the ceasefire agreement,” calling for an “immediate suspension” of the peace process until all remains are recovered.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said the limited transfer was a “failure to meet commitments” by Hamas, warning that any delay or deliberate avoidance would be considered “a gross violation of the agreement.”
The Israeli military said the International Red Cross was coordinating with Hamas to collect the bodies in southern Gaza and expected to receive additional remains in the coming days.
Hamas Calls Prisoner Release a ‘National Achievement’
Hamas celebrated the release of Palestinian prisoners, calling it a “shining national milestone.”
“This liberation represents a shining national milestone in our ongoing struggle for freedom and liberation,” the group said in a statement, congratulating the freed detainees and their families.
The militant group, designated a terrorist organisation by Israel and the United States, has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
Trump in Egypt for Peace Signing
Mr. Trump arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, greeted by Egyptian fighter jets escorting Air Force One in a display of ceremony.
He later met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, praising him as “a friend of mine” and lauding his leadership.
“The U.S. is with him all the way,” Trump said, adding that Egypt has “very little crime because they don’t play games.”
The two leaders met ahead of the signing of the Gaza peace deal, which has drawn 20 heads of state, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
During a bilateral meeting, Trump announced that “phase two has started” in the peace process.
“And you know, the faces are all a little bit mixed in with each other. Gonna start cleaning up… if you look at Gaza, it needs a lot of clean up,” he said, adding that the search for the bodies of slain hostages would continue.
‘Board of Peace’ Proposal
In response to a reporter’s question, Trump said he would like to appoint President el-Sissi to a new international body he called the “Board of Peace.”
“I’d like to have him on the board,” he said.
According to Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, the board will oversee a new governing administration for Gaza.
Trump himself will lead the body, while his envoy, Steve Witkoff, said there is already “a long list of applicants.”
A War’s Human Toll
The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that more than 67,000 people have been killed during Israel’s offensive, with vast areas of the enclave reduced to rubble and famine declared in northern Gaza.
The war began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 were taken hostage.
As night fell over Sharm el-Sheikh, Israel’s Knesset was illuminated in red, white, and blue, the colours of the U.S. flag—a symbolic gesture following Trump’s “historic” visit to Jerusalem.
The peace deal, if finalised, would mark the most significant diplomatic breakthrough in the region since the 1979 Egypt-Israel treaty—an attempt to end one of the world’s most protracted and devastating conflicts.
