In a dramatic turn of events, President Donald Trump announced on October 9, 2025, that all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza are set to be released as early as Monday, October 13, 2025. The news, which follows more than two years of anguish for families and a series of stalled negotiations, marks the first phase of a ceasefire plan agreed upon by Israel and Hamas. The agreement is being hailed as a breakthrough, offering hope to the families of those abducted during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.
Trump made the announcement during a televised interview, stating, “The big thing is hostages are going to be released probably, our time, would be, probably Monday.” He added, “They’re deep in the earth, and they’re being gotten and a lot of things are happening right now as we speak. So much is happening to get the hostages freed, and we think they’ll all be coming back on Monday.” According to Fox News, Trump also revealed that he expects the remaining hostages to return to Israel just two years after their abduction.
The agreement, as outlined by a senior White House official, includes a pause in fighting in Gaza and a requirement for Israeli troops to withdraw from certain parts of the Strip within 24 hours of cabinet approval. “The deal goes to the Israeli cabinet tomorrow. Once they vote yes, Israel has to withdraw to the line which should take under 24 hours,” the official explained. Once the withdrawal is complete, a 72-hour countdown will begin, after which Hamas is expected to start releasing the hostages. “Our assessment is that hostages will begin getting released on Monday,” the official added, as reported by AFP.
For the families of the hostages, the announcement brought a wave of relief and celebration. Many gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, standing before banners bearing the faces of their loved ones. In a phone call with President Trump, Moshe Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law Omri Miran was kidnapped, expressed gratitude: “Mr. President, we believe in you. We know you’ve done so much for us since you became president — even before that.” Trump shared a video on his Truth Social account, showing families cheering the news. One family member declared, “And today, President Trump has done it. He announced just now that our loved ones, the hostages, are coming home.”
The emotions were palpable as families vowed not to rest until every last one of the 48 hostages returns. “We will not stop fighting until we see the last of the 48 return to their family, those who were murdered in captivity, buried in the Land of Israel, those who are still alive, walking through the border and reuniting with their families,” one relative said. Another added, “Thank you, President Trump, for your courage. Thank you to the Trump administration for doing everything you can to bring them home.”
The hostages’ ordeal began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies kidnapped 251 people from Israel and took them to Gaza. Over the following two years, a series of partial agreements saw the release of women, children, and men over 50, but 48 hostages remained, with at least 20 believed to be alive. According to the Israeli government, 26 of those still in Gaza are deceased, while the status of two others remains uncertain. The hostages believed to be alive are almost all men in their 20s and 30s, with only one woman, Inbar Hayman, confirmed dead in captivity in December 2023.
Many of the hostages were taken from the Nova music festival, kibbutzim in southern Israel, and military bases. The stories of those still held are harrowing. Twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman were kidnapped from their home in kibbutz Kfar-Aza, and their mother, Liran Berman, recounted that other released hostages had told the family the brothers were alive but separated. Brothers Ariel and David Cunio, abducted alongside their partners and children, saw some family members released in previous deals, while others remain in captivity. The Horn family, too, has been torn apart, with Eitan Horn still in Gaza after his brother Iair was released. “Since Iair returned to us, he hasn’t stopped thinking about and working for Eitan and all the other hostages he met in captivity who are still there,” the family said in a statement to CNN.
Some hostages have been featured in propaganda videos released by Hamas between 2024 and 2025, a tactic that families describe as psychological torment. Gal Gilboa-Dalal, whose brother Guy was kidnapped from the Nova festival, said, “To make them see what freedom might look like for them and then close the door and drag them back to hell – it’s awful.” Foreign nationals are also among those held, including Bipin Joshi, a Nepali student, and several Thai and Tanzanian citizens. The Israeli government has declared some of these foreign nationals dead, while others are believed to be alive. Joshi’s family recently received a video showing him alive, which they said gave them “unwavering faith” he is still living.
The agreement also provides for the return of the bodies of the 26 deceased hostages. However, Israeli officials caution that Hamas may not be able to recover all the remains, with sources telling CNN that between seven and fifteen bodies may be unrecoverable. Among the deceased are several Israeli soldiers, including dual US-Israeli citizens Omer Maxim Neutra and Itay Chen, whose families have long campaigned for their return.
President Trump credited US airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025 and his sweeping tariff agenda for enabling the peace deal. “Iran was one month, maybe two months, away from obtaining a nuclear weapon … If I allowed that to happen, this deal would not have been possible,” Trump asserted. He also claimed that Iran “blessed the deal,” a statement that has yet to be confirmed independently.
Looking to the future, Trump predicted that Gaza would become a “much safer place,” with reconstruction supported by regional countries and the United States. “It’s going to be a place that reconstructs, and other countries in the area will help it reconstruct, because they have tremendous amounts of wealth, and they want to see that happen,” he said, adding that the US would be “involved in helping them make it successful and helping it stay peaceful.”
As the world waits for Monday, the sense of hope is tempered by the pain of loss and the uncertainty of what comes next. For the families who have waited two long years, the promise of reunion—or the return of their loved ones’ remains—offers a measure of closure and a glimmer of peace after unimaginable suffering.