Oct. 13: Bodies of 4 hostages arrive at forensic institute for ID verification, autopsies

Photo: Bar Kuperstein reunites with father who learned to talk, walk again during his captivity

Former hostage Bar Kuperstein reunites with his father Tal (second from L) in the hospital following his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (GPO)

The Prime Minister’s Office releases photos of former hostage Bar Kuperstein reuniting with his family in the hospital after his release from two years in Hamas captivity.

Embracing him is his father Tal, who suffered a stroke several years ago following a car accident. Tal learned to walk and talk again while his son was in captivity.

Photo: Rom Braslavski watches sun set in Israel for first time since release

Former hostage Rom Braslavski looks at the Tel Aviv skyline from his Tel Hashomer hospital room after his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (GPO)

Photo: Elkana Bohbot reunites with 5-year-old son Re’em after 2-year captivity

Elkana Bohbot embraces his five-year-old son Re'em in the hospital after his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (GPO)

Multiple settler attacks reported in West Bank

Palestinian media reports on several settler attacks targeting Palestinian villages in different parts of the West Bank this evening.

In the village of Yabrud, east of Ramallah, settlers set fire to a vehicle and vandalized several others, according to the village council.

They also attempted to burn a home, but residents managed to quickly put out the fire. Windows of the building were smashed in the incident.

In another settler attack targeting Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, five Palestinians were wounded, Quds News Network reports.

There are no reports of arrests, which are highly rare in such incidents, which take place on a near-daily basis.

مجموعات المستوطنين تهاجم قرية يبرود شرق رام الله وتحرق منزل وسيارة. pic.twitter.com/SbAUi3F1pR

— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) October 13, 2025

Bodies of 4 hostages arrive at forensic institute for ID verification, autopsies

Police salute a van carrying the remains of four hostages as they are being taken for identification on October 13, 2025 (Israel Police)

The Health Ministry says that the bodies of four hostages released by Hamas have arrived at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine (Abu Kabir), where pathologists will verify their identities and conduct autopsies to try and determine the circumstances of their deaths.

Hamas said earlier that the bodies it released were of Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez.

Autistic Gazan teen who was shot by army, treated at Israeli hospital sent back to Strip

Omar Yahya Al-Qarinawi after being sent back to the Gaza Strip, October 7, 2025. (Screen capture/X)

A Palestinian teenager with autism who had been shot by the army in Gaza has been sent back to the Strip after being treated in an Israeli hospital for some two months, the Haaretz daily reports.

According to Haaretz, the 14-year-old, identified as Omar Yahya Al-Qarinawi, was shot by Israeli soldiers near an aid distribution site in the Netzarim Corridor area, in unclear circumstances. The soldiers then treated the teenager and decided to take him to Israel for medical treatment.

The wounded teen was airlifted to Sheba Hospital in central Israel, where he underwent several surgeries. Only when he began to recover from the surgeries did medical officials realise he had low-functioning autism, the report says.

Hospital officials managed to contact the teen’s family in Gaza thanks to a bracelet with his personal details, and they received his parents’ approval for the medical treatment, according to Haaretz.

Last week, upon recovering, he was sent back to Gaza via the Red Cross, unrelated to today’s release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal.

The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

The Israeli occupation army has released Omar Yahya Al-Qarinawi, an 18-year-old Palestinian teen with autism, months after shooting and detaining him in central Gaza.
Al-Qarinawi, from Al-Bureij Camp, pic.twitter.com/iq6MZS9CX4

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) October 13, 2025

An earlier version of this live blog update cited a report that the teenager had been held in detention without charge for months. The post has been updated to reflect that the teenager was taken for medical treatment, not detained.

Trump departs Egypt after whirlwind 24 hours in Mideast

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to return to Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump is departing Egypt after the conclusion of the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. He spent the morning in Israel, meeting with hostage families and speaking at the Knesset.

Trump says world leaders committed to conditioning Gaza reconstruction on Strip’s demilitarization

US President Donald Trump (C) speaks during the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says his 20-point Gaza plan is currently being advanced and that some of the leaders in the room will be appointed to the Board of Peace, which is tasked with overseeing the transitional government of Palestinian technocrats that is slated to administer Gaza after the war.

“Everybody wants to be on the board of peace. They said, ‘Would you be the chairman?’ I said, ‘I’m pretty busy, too. But whatever we can do to have peace in the Middle East, it’s worth it,'” Trump quips.

“For the people of Gaza, the focus now must be on restoring the basics of a good life. We’re going to have a lot of money coming into Gaza and a lot of rebuilding,” Trump continues. “I’m pleased to announce that numerous countries of great wealth and power and dignity have come forward to me just today and over the last week to say they want to help in the reconstruction of Gaza.”

“As those commitments are made, I’m going to let the world know who is doing it because they really deserve great credit.”

“We’ve all agreed that supporting Gaza must be done to lift up the people themselves, but we don’t want to fund anything having to do with the bloodshed, hatred or terror, as has happened in the past,” Trump says.

“We’ve also agreed that Gaza’s reconstruction requires that it be demilitarized and that a new, honest civilian police force must be allowed to create safe conditions for the people in Gaza.”

“This is the first time the Middle East crisis has brought people together, as opposed to driving them apart,” he says.

Trump wraps up his remarks and asks the press to leave the room so he can say a few words privately to the leaders.

Apparently, thinking that the cameras are off, he again thanks everyone for coming.

“We’re going to be drawing some names. If you want to get involved in the Board of Peace, you’ll let us know,” Trump says.

Trump urges world leaders to join Abraham Accords: ‘There are no more Gaza or Iran excuses’

US President Donald Trump (C) speaks during the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says in his speech at the Egypt summit on Gaza that world leaders have gathered to celebrate not just the end of the Gaza war but the beginning of a new “beautiful Middle East.”

“From this moment forward, we can build a region that’s strong, stable, prosperous and united in rejecting the path of terror once and for all,” Trump says.

He says the “final sprint” to the deal that ended the Gaza war began on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly late last month when he met with the leaders of eight Arab and Muslim countries, some of whom “I don’t like in particular.”

“We listened and we exchanged ideas, and we kept pushing forward until the job was done,” Trump says. “The first steps to peace are always the hardest, and today, we’ve taken them together.

“I’ve just come from Israel, it was an amazing day to watch the hostages come in,” he continues. “The Israeli people are overjoyed that the war has ended. Many of you have had dancing in the streets.”

“I hope everybody is going to join the Abraham Accords… Now, a lot of people, even today, are talking about all joining up. So many people have talked to me about that, and it’s going to be a great tribute to the United States,” Trump says.

The countries that have already joined are “wealthy,” Trump says, apparently referring to the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which each have varying levels of wealth.

“I hope everybody is now joining up. Now we have no excuses. We don’t have a Gaza and we don’t have an Iran as an excuse,” Trump says, apparently referring to the US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, which he asserts “completely obliterated” the program.

“All the momentum now is toward a great, glorious and lasting peace,” Trump continues. “Our commitment to fulfilling the 20-point plan we developed together will be the crucial foundation for achieving that bright future” — a reference to his plan that envisions the creation of a pathway to a future Palestinian state.

Opening speech at Gaza summit, Trump gives shout-outs to PA’s Abbas and Erdogan: ‘He’s always there when I need him’

President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

US President Donald Trump begins his formal remarks at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh by saying, “This is the day that people across the region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping and praying for.”

“Nobody thought this could happen with the historic agreement we have just signed,” he says, referring to his Gaza peace plan ceremonially signed by the leaders of the four mediating countries moments ago.

“Those prayers of millions have finally been answered. The hostages have been returned, and further work goes on… to save bodies,” Trump says.

“Together, we’ve achieved what everybody said was impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Trump claims.

“After years of suffering and bloodshed, the war in Gaza is over. Humanitarian aid is now pouring in, including hundreds of truckloads of food and medical equipment and other supplies,” he says. “Now the rebuilding begins.”

Trump thanks the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. “He’s always there when I need him,” Trump says of Turkish president and fierce Israel critic Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He also thanks the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Pakistan.

In an apparent miscommunication, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif then takes to the podium and gives brief prepared remarks before Trump is done with his speech.

Sharif announces that he has nominated Trump for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize after the US president came up short in last week’s selection of the 2025 prize. World leaders and others have begun making a habit of nominating Trump for the award to curry favor with the president.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that,” Trump says before continuing with his thank yous to various leaders, highlighting the president of Indonesia and even Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

IDF crosses back into Israel with bodies of 4 dead hostages, heads to forensic institute for ID

Israelis gather outside the Abu Kabir forensic center in Tel Aviv to pay tribute as the bodies of four slain hostages are returned from Gaza and taken for definitive identification, October 13, 2025. The signs amid the flowers say, 'Sorry' (Times of Israel)

Israeli police officers are escorting the caskets containing the apparent remains of four hostages to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv, where they will undergo identification.

The caskets had been handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross, who then brought them to Israeli troops in Gaza. The IDF says it brought the bodies out of the Strip after a short ceremony in their memory.

A livestream published by the Israel Police shows the convoy heading toward Abu Kabir from the Gaza border.

Israel said not buying Hamas claim that it needs more time to collect hostages’ bodies

While Hamas has relayed to mediators that it needs more time to collect the bodies of all 28 deceased hostages, Israel is not buying the claim and believes the terror group is stalling, Channel 12 reports.

Hamas has thus far only released four bodies, which are currently being transferred by the IDF out of Gaza.

The Kan public broadcaster says that Hamas has conveyed the following message to the mediators: “We have limitations beyond our control and constraints in the field that caused us to hand over a lower number than expected of dead hostages.”

The terror group does not claim that it doesn’t know where all 24 of them are, just that it needs more time to retrieve them. Some may also be located in areas currently held by the IDF.

Avinatan Or was held in isolation for entire captivity, lost between 30- 40% of body weight — report

Released hostage Avinatan Or reunites with his girlfriend and former hostage Noa Argamani, upon his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (IDF)

Channel 12 reveals new details about the captivity of released hostage Avinatan Or, reporting that he was held in isolation for more than two years and did not encounter any other hostages until his release.

According to the report, Or was held in the central Gaza Strip for most of the war under severe conditions, including prolonged starvation. An initial medical examination found that he had lost between 30% and 40% of his body weight.

Upon his release, Or reportedly asked to spend time alone with his girlfriend, and former hostage, Noa Argamani, as the two shared what they described as their “first cigarette together after two years.”

Channel 12 adds that Or knew very little about developments in Israel and only learned of the IDF rescue operation that freed Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir and Shlomi Ziv during his reunion with Argamani earlier today.

Introducing Trump, Sissi says two-state solution is only way to Israel’s security

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi speaks during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi begins the formal part of the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with brief remarks introducing Trump.

Sissi asserts that a two-state solution is the only way to achieve the ambitions of the Palestinians and the Israelis and live in peace.

“Egypt will work with the United States in coordination with partners in the coming days to lay the foundation for the reconstruction of the (Gaza) Strip, and we intend to host an early recovery, reconstruction and development conference,” he says.

Four caskets of deceased hostages to be escorted by army out of Gaza shortly, IDF says

The caskets containing the apparent remains of four slain hostages will soon be escorted out of the Gaza Strip by troops, the military says.

The IDF says the caskets will be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification, which officials have said may take up to two days.

Before being taken out of Gaza, the IDF says it is set to hold a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, in their memory. The caskets will be draped in Israeli flags, and troops will salute and recite psalms.

The bodies were handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross in southern Gaza earlier this evening. The Red Cross then brought the caskets to the IDF.

Hamas said earlier that it was returning the bodies of Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez.

Eurovision Song Contest organizer calls off November vote on Israel participation

Anti-Israel protestors and BDS activists hold Palestinian flags and a banner reading 'Country of apartheid ... Israel,' during a demonstration against prior to the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, May 17, 2025. (SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

Eurovision Song Contest organizers will no longer meet online in November to vote on Israel’s participation in the competition, following Middle East “developments,” the European Broadcasting Union says on Monday in an apparent reference to the Gaza ceasefire.

Austria had appealed to countries not to boycott next year’s contest — due to be held in Vienna — over Israel’s participation and concerns about the two-year-old Gaza conflict.

Eurovision, which stresses its political neutrality, has faced controversy this year linked to the war, and several countries had pledged to withdraw from the event if Israel took part.

Austrian national broadcaster, ORF, which will host the 2026 contest, tells Reuters it welcomed the EBU’s decision.

“The Board agreed to put the issue on the agenda of its ordinary Winter General Assembly, which will be taking place in December,” instead of the extraordinary meeting which had been slated to take place online in November, an EBU statement says.

It says that following “recent developments in the Middle East,” the Executive Board agreed on Monday that there should be an in-person discussion among Members “on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.”

The EBU does not clarify, when asked by Reuters, if a vote on Israeli broadcaster Kan’s participation would still go ahead, and said further details about the session will be shared with EBU Members in the coming weeks.

Kan does not immediately reply to a request for comment.

In September, a letter from the EBU’s president said the executive board recognized that it could not reach a consensual position on Kan’s participation in the competition.

“Given that the Union has never faced a divisive situation like this before, the Board agreed that this question merited a broader democratic basis for a decision,” Delphine Ernotte Cunci says in the letter.

Trump and leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey sign a Gaza peace plan; he hails world leaders for their help in getting it across finish line

US President Donald Trump poses with a signed agreement at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Suzanne Plunkett, Pool Photo via AP)

US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey sign a declaration meant to cement the ceasefire in Gaza, as several dozen world leaders join them at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.

“The document is going to spell out rules and regulations and lots of other things,” Trump says before signing, repeating twice that “it’s going to hold up.”

He says he will give a proper speech shortly, but takes the opportunity to thank the world leaders behind him.

“They wanted to get Gaza straightened out. They wanted to get the whole thing straightened out. It got to a point where it was just crazy,” Trump says.

“They always talked about World War Three start[ing] in the Middle East, and that’s not going to happen [anymore],” he adds.

It is not immediately clear what the document states, but the White House, in a tweet, refers to it as the “Gaza Peace Plan for peace in the Middle East.”

It is signed by Trump along with the leaders of the three other mediating countries — Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

HISTORIC MOMENT.

President Donald J. Trump, alongside the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, signs the Gaza Peace Plan for peace in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/depaxQO8g2

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 13, 2025

IDF has picked up first 2 bodies of hostages released by Hamas, as Red Cross collects another 2

The IDF says troops in the Gaza Strip have received two caskets, with the apparent bodies of slain hostages, from the Red Cross a short while ago.

The Red Cross, meanwhile, has collected two more caskets from Hamas a short while ago, and is now bringing them to the same location, the IDF says.

The IDF is set to inspect the four caskets, before draping them in Israeli flags and holding a short ceremony led by a military rabbi.

The remains will then be taken for identification to confirm they belong to slain hostages.

The military says “Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the bodies,” after the terror group announced it would only return the bodies of four of the 28 dead hostages today.

Hamas said earlier that it would return the bodies of slain hostages Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez today.

Report: PM stayed away from Egypt summit to avoid blowback from base for joining Abbas, other controversial Mideast leaders

Channel 12 reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed his decision to attend today’s summit in Egypt due to concerns of blowback from his political base and members of his right-wing coalition if he were to join a gathering that included Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other controversial Arab and Muslim leaders such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Netanyahu has long asserted that the PA will not be allowed to play a role in the post-war management of Gaza, repeatedly likening Ramallah, which backs a two-state solution, to Hamas.

Erdogan has been one of Israel’s fiercest critics throughout the Gaza war, comparing Netanyahu to Hitler.

WATCH: World leaders join Trump at Gaza conference in Sharm el-Sheikh

Dozens of world leaders join US President Donald Trump in a conference on Gaza hosted by Egypt in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The four mediating countries — US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — sign last week’s Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will address the confab first followed by US President Donald Trump.

IDF said looking into report that troops torched Gaza sewage plant

The IDF is reportedly aware of and looking into a report that troops torched homes, food and a Gaza sewage plant in the final hours before the ceasefire went into place last week.

The Sheikh Ajlin plant destroyed by troops received roughly $18 million in funds from Germany.

The anti-Israel Dropsite news outlet published photos posted on social media by the troops who allegedly took part in the arson and included the caption, “final memory.”

Israeli Military’s response to our article.
[@ryangrim] https://t.co/NdmjGM8T8n pic.twitter.com/lmUsd7NUcv

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) October 13, 2025

Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal reunite at hospital after being split 2 months before release

Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal embrace at the hospital following their release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (Government Press Office)

Released hostages and childhood friends Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal — who spent most of their more than two years in Hamas captivity together — were reunited at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva upon their return to Israel.

Channel 12 reports that the two were separated by their captors about two months ago before being reunited in Israel.

David and Gilboa-Dalal were held together for the majority of their captivity in what their families described as inhumane conditions, enduring daily physical and psychological torture.

The two were seen for the first time since their kidnapping on October 7, 2023, in a Hamas propaganda video released in February, being forced to watch a group of hostages get released, an act widely panned as cruel psychological torture.

Trump greets world leaders, including PA’s Abbas, arriving for Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh

US President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas pose for a photo in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Suzanne Plunkett, Pool Photo via AP)

US President Donald Trump individually greets roughly 35 foreign leaders who have arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh for a conference on Gaza.

Trump is standing above large letters that read, “Peace 2025.” One by one, each leader approaches him, shakes his hand, exchanges a few brief remarks while posing for a photo before whisked out of the room.

They are then gathered all together for a final group photo.

President Donald Trump and other world leaders pose for a photo during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

The leaders include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in what is his first meeting and conversation with Trump since the latter’s return to the Oval Office.

Noticeably absent is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who backed out at the last minute, citing the Simhat Torah holiday, which begins tonight.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly threatened to boycott along with other Muslim leaders had Netanyahu joined.

Trump at Egypt summit says Hamas looking for hostages’ bodies; Sissi: We’re committed to bringing them back

US President Donald Trump meets with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi give remarks to the press before holding a bilateral meeting ahead of the summit of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh on Gaza.

Trump hails Sissi as a “powerful leader,” claiming Egypt has no crime because “they don’t play games.”

He also praises Sissi for bringing a long list of countries to participate in today’s summit and for coaxing Hamas to agree to his Gaza ceasefire proposal.

The Egyptian Presidency has released the official list of nations and officials slated to participate in the upcoming Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit.

Heads of State/Government:

📌Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
📌US President Donald Trump
📌King Abdullah II of Jordan… pic.twitter.com/BzIdYi9kyU

— Daily News Egypt (@DailyNewsEgypt) October 13, 2025

While Iran won’t be joining the summit, Trump predicts that Tehran will buckle under the pressure of sanctions and “make a deal” with the US, even if leaders are currently publicly claiming that they’re not interested in one.

Trump says Hamas is looking for the bodies of the remaining deceased hostages that it has yet to return. Hamas only returned 4 of the 28 bodies of killed hostages today — far fewer than anticipated.

“It’s a pretty gruesome task… They know the areas [where they’re located] and… they’re doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they’ll going to be finding quite a few of them,” Trump says.

Asked by reporters when the talks on phase two of the Gaza deal will begin, Trump says those talks have already started.

“The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other. You start cleaning up [Gaza],” he says, noting the “wealthy countries” who will be participating in the Sharm el-Sheikh conference later today.

“Everybody that we invited came,” Trump says, not mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will not be attending, despite receiving a last-minute invitation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then hails Egypt’s efforts in bringing about the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, adding that they’ll continue playing a critical role in its implementation.

“It’s not simply about restoring Gaza. It is about transforming the region,” Rubio says, calling today “one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years.”

Asked what his and Jared Kushner’s role will be moving forward, US special envoy Steve Witkoff says they’ve already begun working on implementation and will be in Egypt “quite a bit” moving forward.

Sissi then welcomes Trump to Sharm el-Sheikh and hails his efforts in bringing about the Gaza ceasefire. He notes that he has long believed that Trump was the only person capable of ending the war and bringing about peace in the region.

The Egyptian leader says he is working to ensure that the Gaza deal is fully implemented, including by securing the release of all deceased hostages and surging aid into Gaza.

Asked whether Sissi will serve on the Board of Peace, which will oversee the transitional Palestinian government of technocrats that Trump’s plan envisions administering Gaza moving forward, Trump responds, “I’d like to have him on the board. I’d like to have many leaders on the board.”

“We have a long list of applicants,” Witkoff adds.

WATCH: Trump meets with world leaders in Egypt, including PA’s President Abbas

US President Donald Trump meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (YouTube screenshot)

US President Donald Trump is meeting world leaders at a summit co-hosted by Egypt in Sharm el-Sheikh, focused on Trump’s broad peace plan for Gaza.

He shakes hands and talks briefly with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Two weeks ago, Abbas was denied a US visa and was therefore unable to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, instead addressing it via videolink.

He met a few minutes ago with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Trump brokered an invitation this morning for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend the summit, Netanyahu and Sissi spoke by phone, and Egypt announced that the prime minister would participate. But Netanyahu later declined the invite, citing the start tonight of the Simchat Torah festival.

Avinatan Or reunites with his girlfriend — ex-hostage Noa Argamani — after his release

Released hostage Avinatan Or reunites with his girlfriend and former hostage Noa Argamani, upon his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (IDF)

New photos show released hostage Avinatan Or reuniting with his girlfriend, and former hostage, Noa Argamani, after being freed by Hamas after over two years in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Or was kidnapped from the Nova music festival alongside Argamani, who was rescued by Israeli forces in June 2024.

On October 7, Hamas released a video of the pair that has become one of the most well-known videos from that day.

Released hostage Avinatan Or reunites with his girlfriend and former hostage Noa Argamani, upon his release from captivity on October 13, 2025. (IDF)

IDF says Red Cross has picked up 2 bodies and will pick up 2 more later today

The IDF says the Red Cross has notified the military that it has collected two caskets, with the apparent bodies of slain hostages, from Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip a short while ago.

The Red Cross is now bringing the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held. The remains will then be taken for identification.

The Red Cross is due to collect two more caskets with the bodies of slain hostages this evening and also bring them to the army.

“Hamas is required to abide by the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the bodies,” the military says.

Hamas said earlier that it would return the bodies of Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez today.

Omri Miran plays with his two young daughters after release from 2-year captivity

Released hostage Omri Miran is reunited with his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, and wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, at Ichilov Hospital after he was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on October 13, 2025 (GPO)

Omri Miran plays with his two daughters for the first time since his release from captivity, while in the hospital where he is being examined by doctors.

Released hostage Omri Miran is reunited with his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, and wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, at Ichilov Hospital after he was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on October 13, 2025 (GPO)Omri

Air Force chief flew helicopter that took freed hostage Nimrod Cohen to hospital

Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, right, is seen greeting released hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen and his family at the Re'im base before flying him in a helicopter to a hospital in central Israel, October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar flew the helicopter that transported released hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen and his family from the IDF’s Re’im base to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv earlier today, the military says.

Cohen was the only survivor of four soldiers who were in a tank that was attacked by Hamas terrorists on the Gaza border during the October 7, 2023, onslaught with RPG fire and explosive devices.

Infamous footage from the attack showed Palestinians in civilian clothing standing on and around their tank while it was wreathed in smoke and flames, and the soldiers being dragged out by Hamas terrorists.

After 738 days, Cohen was released today from Hamas captivity alongside 19 other living hostages.

Trump hails Israeli resilience, says he’s stuck with Israel during war and now will do so during peace

Nearing the end of his speech to the Knesset, US President Donald Trump says he has always stood with Israel and pledges to continue doing so.

“I guess maybe something could happen to change my mind. Somebody that’s really stupid gets into office and wants to do really bad things, but that’s about it. We don’t think we’re going to have that happen,” Trump qualifies.

Trump highlights the resilience of the hostage families whom he has met over the past year.

“I’ve looked into their eyes. I’ve seen the worst nightmares of their suffering, but I’ve also seen something else: the beautiful love of the people,” he continues. “That holds things together — the love that gives you the courage to carry on through thousands of years of persecution and repression and to emerge with the heart of David.”

“What you’ve done is a miracle. Look at your size. Look at your chances when it all started… You are safer today, stronger today, and more respected today than at any time in the history of Israel,” Trump says. “People used to say it wouldn’t exist. They don’t say that anymore.”

“If safety, security and coexistence can thrive here in the winding alleys and ancient paths of Jerusalem, then surely peace and respect and flourish among the nations of the broader Middle East.”

“The God who once dwelled among his people in this city still calls us, in the words of scripture, to turn from evil and do good, to seek peace and pursue it.”

“That is why, even after 3,000 years of pain and conflict, the people of Israel have never given up… You want the promise of Zion, you want the promise of success and hope and love and God,” Trump adds. “And the people of America have never lost faith in the promise of a great and blessed future for all of us.”

“From the very first day that modern Israel was founded, we have stood together through thick and thin… We have built industries together. We have made discoveries together. We have confronted evil together, and we have waged war together.”

“Perhaps most beautifully of all, we have made peace together. And this week, against all odds, we have done the impossible and brought our hostages home,” Trump says to another round of applause.

“Now, we’re going to forge a future that is worthy of our heritage. We’re going to build a legacy that all the people of this region can be proud of — new bonds of friendship, cooperation and commerce will join Tel Aviv to Dubai, Haifa to Beirut, Jerusalem to Damascus; from Israel to Egypt, from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, from India to Pakistan, from Indonesia to Iraq, from Syria to Bahrain, Turkey to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates to Oman and Armenia to Azerbaijan — another war that I just settled.”

“We are going to have hope, harmony, opportunity and happiness here in the spiritual and geographic center of the entire world… Israel, America and all of the nations of the Middle East will soon be safer, stronger, greater and more prosperous than ever before.

“This has been truly an honor… And I love Israel. I’m with you all the way. You will be bigger, better, stronger and more loving than ever before,” Trump concludes to a lengthy applause.

Trump lands in Sharm el-Sheikh for Gaza summit

US President Donald Trump has landed in Egypt aboard Air Force One to co-chair a summit on Gaza.

The leader arrived in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh where over two dozen heads of state, government and international organizations are expecting him, following a lightning visit to Israel.

New York leaders hail hostage release; no comment from Mamdani

This combination of pictures created on June 24, 2025 shows New York City mayoral candidate and democratic State Representative Zohran Mamdani (L) in New York City on April 16, 2025 and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo (R) in New York City on April 13, 2025 (ANGELA WEISS and CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

New York leaders hail the release of hostages from Gaza as the US wakes up to the news of the captives’ return to Israel.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams says: “Our hearts are filled with joy as an end to the war in Gaza appears to be on the horizon and families have finally been united.”

“We pray that this news will bring lasting peace, justice and prosperity to Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Adams says.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul says: “After two years of immense suffering and loss, the Israeli hostages have finally returned home. I join their families in celebrating this long-awaited homecoming and pray they find peace and comfort in the days ahead.”

“I’m grateful to the administration for its role in securing the hostages’ release. With their return and a permanent ceasefire, I’m hopeful that vital aid will soon reach families suffering in Gaza and that today marks the beginning of a new chapter of lasting peace and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Hochul says.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running to become New York City’s next mayor, says: “For two long years, families have lived through unimaginable pain, sleepless nights, and endless heartache.”

“Today, their prayers have been answered, as the remaining hostages are finally home in the arms of their loved ones, where they belong,” Cuomo says. “We must never forget the terrorist act that brought us here, and we must stand together to say, with one voice: never forget and never again. Terrorism has no place in Gaza, in the Middle East, or anywhere in the world.”

There is no immediate comment from New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel who is leading the race to become the city’s next mayor.

Yesterday, Mamdani said he ran a race for Gaza to raise money for UNRWA USA.

Last week, on the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Mamdani called the Hamas attack a “horrific war crime” and accused Israel of launching a “genocidal war” against the Palestinians.

Footage allegedly shows settlers taking up residence in new homes, violating court injunctions

Footage released by the Peace Now organization appears to show settlers taking up residence in prefabricated West Bank homes in a legally controversial part of the Carmel settlement, in apparent defiance of a court order issued yesterday by the Jerusalem District Court.

Peace Now submitted a petition to the court last week, requesting that some seven prefabricated homes established on the outskirts of Carmel and just meters away from the Palestinian village of Umm al Khir in the South Hebron Hills be evacuated, arguing that the placement of the dwellings was carried out without authorization and in violation of zoning designations on the land in question.

Yesterday, the Jerusalem District Court issued a temporary injunction forbidding settlers from taking up residence in the homes, and prohibiting further work to pave a road to the structures until further notice.

Peace Now sends out footage of settlers apparently taking up residence in the structures this morning, in the presence of Har Hevron Regional Council chairman Eliram Azoulai.

משש בבוקר דיווחתי ליועמ"ש איו"ש וליועמ"ש משרד הביטחון; דיברתי עם משטרת חברון, עם חטיבת יהודה של הצבא, ועם חמ"ל המינהל האזרחי. תושבי אום אל ח'יר התקשרו שלוש פעמים ל-100.
וכלום.
מתנחלי כרמל ממשיכים בניחותא להפר את הצו של המחוזי בי-ם שאוסר לבצע בניה ולאכלס את המאחז החדש שלהם.
בקלות pic.twitter.com/f9KYY1pz4V

— Michael Sfard מיכאל ספרד (@sfardm) October 13, 2025

“While the people of Israel were moved by the return of the hostages, criminal settlers continued to ignore the legal system and advance the project of dispossession and plunder in the West Bank,” writes the left-wing organization, which campaigns against the settlements and for a two-state solution.

In August, when the construction work in the area began, Awdah Hathaleen, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was shot and killed, apparently by a known extremist settler who was conducting contract work for the building work.

As Turkey claims credit, source says Ankara had nothing to do with Netanyahu not attending Egypt summit

As a Turkish government official claims to international media that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s diplomatic push led to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opting to withdraw his participation in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, a source tells The Times of Israel that Netanyahu’s decision preceded Ankara’s warnings on the matter.

The Turkish government official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, says Erdogan launched a diplomatic initiative that gained support from several other nations, ultimately causing Netanyahu to nix his participation.

The Turkish official declines to confirm media reports claiming Erdogan’s plane circled above the Red Sea as the president threatened to boycott the meeting, and that it only landed once it was clear Netanyahu would not be present.

But a source with knowledge of the matter tells The Times of Israel that, while Erdogan did threaten to boycott the summit, his warning came after Netanyahu had already announced that he would not be attending, despite Egypt’s invitation.

Erdogan told Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi that he would not take part in the summit “if any Israeli plane lands,” according to the official.

Netanyahu’s office said he would not attend the summit due to the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, shortly after it was confirmed he planned to attend.

Hailing Adelson and her ‘$60 billion in the bank,’ Trump quips that she likes Israel more than US

Miriam Adelson, center, is seated before President Donald Trump is due to address the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

US President Donald Trump gives a shout-out to Miriam Adelson during his Knesset speech, noting her role in pushing for him to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.

Trump asks Adelson, who is sitting in the gallery, to stand up, as lawmakers give her a standing ovation.

He quips that she and her late husband Sheldon made more trips to the White House than anyone else.

“Look at her sitting there so innocently. She’s got $60 billion in the bank,” Trump jokes about the GOP megadonor.

“Her husband was a very aggressive man, but I loved him… very supportive of me,” Trump says of the casino mogul.

“I get her in trouble with this, but I actually asked her once… ‘What do you love more? The United States or Israel?’ She refused to answer. That might mean Israel,” Trump says, smiling, while looking at the dual Israeli-American national.

Emotional rollercoaster for Nova survivors as they welcome freed hostages, bury survivor who died by suicide

On a day filled with both relief and heartbreak, members of the Nova Tribe Community Association divide their presence between two deeply emotional events: greeting released hostages returning from Gaza, and mourning the loss of one of their own.

Of the 20 hostages freed by Hamas today, 11 were members of the Nova community — abducted from the Nova music festival near Re’im on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists massacred 378 in the deadliest attack of that day.

While some gathered outside hospitals to welcome home survivors, others attended the funeral of Roei Shalev, a Nova festival survivor who died by suicide last week.

As helicopters carrying the newly released hostages landed at hospitals in central Israel, footage showed fellow Nova survivors and supporters standing nearby, cheering and waving from behind barriers.

שגב כלפון בכניסה לבית החולים שיבא@yaronavraham pic.twitter.com/J27kZBUP8M

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) October 13, 2025

Elsewhere, a large crowd — many of them survivors of the Nova festival massacre — gathered to bid farewell to Shalev, whose death has shaken a community still struggling to heal from the trauma of October 7.

ההלוויה של רועי שלו ז"ל, שורד הנובה שנטל את חייו💔 pic.twitter.com/cDEedHPKDe

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) October 13, 2025

The Nova Tribe Community Association, formed by survivors and bereaved families, has become a central force in commemorating the victims, supporting mental health recovery, and advocating for the hostages’ release.

Red Cross en route to receive 4 bodies of hostages in southern Gaza — IDF

Top row (L-R) Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, 2nd row (L-R) Bipin Joshi, Daniel Perez

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles is now heading to a handover site in the southern Gaza Strip to collect the bodies of four hostages from Hamas, the IDF says.

The Red Cross will bring the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held in their memory. The caskets will also be examined by sappers “for security purposes,” according to the military.

The caskets with civilian hostages will then be taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute for identification, while the bodies of slain soldiers will be taken to the IDF’s Shura Camp.

The identification process may take up to two days, according to officials.

Hamas said a short while ago that it would return the bodies of slain hostages Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez today.

Indonesia president gave tepid okay for Israel visit but got cold feet once plan was leaked — source

Indonesia's president Prabowo Subianto puts his hands together as he finishes his address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly with the word 'shalom,' September 23, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto had given an initial green light to interlocutors that he would make a historic visit Israel on Monday. However, he was very concerned about domestic pushback over the move and ultimately backed out once the plan was leaked to the press, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The source says Jakarta is now trying to save face by having its Foreign Ministry deny reports of Subianto’s planned trip, while claiming that one had never even been planned.

Trump thanks Herzog for announcing he will receive Israel’s Presidential Medal of Honor

US President Donald Trump (L) speaks as Speaker Amir Ohana and Israel's President Isaac Herzog applause at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

Ahead of his departure to Egypt from Israel, US President Donald Trump thanks President Isaac Herzog for announcing earlier that today he would award the American leader with the Presidential Medal of Honor.

“It was a great honor being with you, and I very much appreciate the Presidential Medal of Honor,” Trump tells Herzog in a video shared by Herzog’s office.

Herzog responds, “It’s my honor, Mr. President. We’re looking forward. You deserve every bit of it.”

The Israeli president’s office announced this morning that Trump would receive the prize — Israel’s highest civilian honor — in the coming months, at a time and place to be determined.

154 Palestinian security prisoners freed and deported by Israel arrive in Egypt

An Egyptian official says 154 Palestinian security prisoners who were released and deported by Israel have arrived in Egypt at the Rafah crossing with Gaza.

The freed prisoners are to be sent to third countries as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, says the official, who has direct knowledge of the deal’s implementation. He speaks on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media.

The prisoners are among more than 1,900 Palestinians being freed by Israel in exchange for Hamas’s release of its remaining hostages.

Katz: If Hamas deliberately delays returning bodies of dead hostages it’s in violation of deal

Defense Minister Israel Katz visits the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, on September 2, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that if Hamas is intentionally delaying the return of the bodies of dead hostages, it would be a violation of the agreement.

“The urgent mission we are all committed to now is to ensure the return of all the fallen hostages home,” he says on X.

“Hamas’s announcement of the expected return of four bodies today constitutes a failure to meet its commitments,” Katz says, adding that “any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a blatant violation of the agreement and will be met accordingly.”

The terror group has told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of the 28 slain hostages are located. Israel was aware of this when it signed the agreement.

An Israeli official told CNN this week that seven to nine bodies might not be retrieved, while another put the figure at between 10 and 15. The report was not publicly confirmed by Israeli authorities.

Hamas-run authorities claim 60 bodies recovered under Gaza rubble in past day, 200 since truce began

Palestinians make their way past destroyed buildings in Gaza City on October 12, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry claims that the bodies of 60 Palestinians have been recovered from under the rubble of destroyed buildings and brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours.

That brings the number of recovered bodies to 200 in the past four days since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect and Israeli troops pulled back from some parts of Gaza.

The Hamas ministry says many dead are still under the rubble, particularly in areas inaccessible to first responders.

In total, the terror group claims more than 67,800 Gazans have been killed in the war, though the figure isn’t confirmed and doesn’t distinguish between civilians and terror operatives. Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during and immediately following the October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Families demand ‘severe response’ by Israel after Hamas says returning only 4 hostage bodies today

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum demands a “severe response” from the government after Hamas said it would only be returning the bodies of four of the 28 dead hostages.

The forum demands an “immediate halt to the implementation of the agreement until the full and complete release of all the fallen.”

“The violation of the agreement by Hamas must be met with a very severe response from the government and the mediators,” the forum says.

“An agreement must be respected by both sides, if Hamas does not fulfill their part, Israel should not fulfill its part either,” the forum says.

“We demand all 28 hostages. We will not give up on anyone, down to the last hostage,” says the forum.

Hamas said a short while ago that it will return the bodies of slain hostages Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and Daniel Perez today.

The terror group has told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located, which may delay their return to Israel.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, Israeli mediators are intensively working to try to get the number of bodies released today increased.

Iraqi leader threatened to leave Egypt summit if Netanyahu attended

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, attends a bilateral meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on the sidelines of the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool photo via AP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who traveled to Egypt to participate in a summit of world leaders aimed at solidifying the end of the war in Gaza, informed Egyptian and US officials that he would withdraw from the summit if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reports.

Egypt’s presidency initially said Netanyahu would attend the summit, but Netanyahu’s office later said he would not attend since it would clash with the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah. The summit in Sharm el-Sheikh is co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US President Donald Trump and will include around two dozen world leaders.

Report: Erdogan told Sissi his plane heading to Cairo for Gaza summit would turn around if Netanyahu allowed to come

This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish Presidency Press Office on October 7, 2025, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attending a session of the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic State (OTS) in Gabala, Azerbaijan. (Mustafa Kamaci / Turkish Presidency Press Office / AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan phoned Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi from his place as it prepared to land in Cairo for tomorrow’s Gaza summit to tell him that he would head back to Ankara if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was allowed to attend the confab of world leaders, Israel Hayom reports.

CNN reports that Turkey also told the United States that Netanyahu should not participate in the Egypt summit.

The network says that Egypt’s invitation to Netanyahu — apparently brokered by the US — led Turkey and other Muslim countries to threaten to boycott.

Shortly after the warnings from Ankara, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying he was reversing his plan to attend due to the Simhat Torah holiday, which starts this evening.

Erdogan’s plane has since landed in Egypt.

Iran confirms it won’t participate in Egypt summit on Gaza

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has declined an invitation to attend the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt, based on its interests as well as US “unilateralistic policy.”

Yesterday, Iran said it had declined an invitation from Cairo to take part, adding that it was then invited again but not saying how it responded to the second invite.

Today, the spokesman for the ministry, Esmail Baghaei, tells reporters that the final decision not to attend came after discussion both inside the ministry and other decision-making bodies in the country: “Positive and negative dimensions of any decision including participation and avoiding participation were calculated and eventually led to a decision that secures betterments and interests of the country.”

Trump: Palestinians ‘should concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down’

US President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

US President Donald Trump says the Palestinians can choose a new path as well, “to exile the wicked forces of hate that are in their midst.”

He says he thinks it is going to happen.

“Now is the time to concentrate on building their people up instead of trying to tear Israel down,” he says.

Trump says he intends to be a partner through the Board of Peace to rebuild Gaza.

Many Arab countries are willing to invest massively in Gaza, he says.

He says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be impressed with what these countries do in Gaza.

The “wealthy and powerful” countries gathering in Sharm El-Sheikh are “only looking for good,” says Trump.

“The productive and responsible nations of this region should not be enemies or adversaries,” he says. “You should be partners and eventually even friends.”

“You’re going to unleash numbers and success the likes of which Israel has never been able to think of,” he says.

“You’ve done the right thing in defending yourself,” he says. “You’re not going to have to worry so much about it.”

“You’ve won, and now you can build,” he says. “It’s going to be a miracle,” he says.

All the countries that signed the Abraham Accords remained in the pact during the war, Trump notes. “They stayed because of loyalty, and they stayed because it was really good business.”

He says he hopes that “all of countries we are seeking join quickly, no games, no nothing.”

He calls for infrastructure to weave commerce closer together instead of fortresses to keep enemies out.

Last of 20 hostages freed today have arrived at hospitals for check-ups — IDF

All 20 hostages freed by Hamas today have been taken to hospitals in central Israel in Israeli Air Force helicopters, the military says.

The last choppers took off a short while ago from the Re’im base near Gaza with released hostages Matan Zangauker, Maxim Herkin, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Evyatar David, Eitan Horn, and brothers David and Ariel Cunio, the IDF says.

The hostages are set to meet more family members at the hospitals and undergo rehabilitation after over two years in Hamas captivity.

Zelensky: Gaza deal brings hope for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hails the “extraordinary” Gaza ceasefire as bringing hope that US President Donald Trump could broker an end to the Russian invasion of his country.

“When peace is achieved for one part of the world, it brings more hope for peace in other regions,” Zelensky says on social media.

He adds: “If a ceasefire and peace have been achieved for the Middle East, the leadership and determination of global actors can certainly work for us too, in Ukraine.”

IDF demands Hamas uphold its end of deal after group says it’s returning 4 out of 28 bodies today

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says Israel is demanding that Hamas uphold its end of the deal, after it said it only intends to return the bodies of four of the 28 slain hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.

“We have been informed that later today, approximately four fallen hostages will be returned. Even at this hour, efforts are being made at all levels to exert pressure for the continuation of the process to return the bodies of the fallen,” Defrin says in a video statement.

“We demand that Hamas uphold its part of the agreement. We do not forget them (the hostages) for a moment and will not rest until all return to their families and to burial in Israel,” he says.

Hamas said a short while ago that it will return the bodies of slain hostages Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez today.

The terror group has told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located, which may delay their return to Israel.

German leader urges Trump to wield his influence to also end the Ukraine war

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for continued US engagement in resolving the war in Ukraine, expressing the hope that US President Donald Trump will exercise the same influence as in the Middle East.

Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of a summit with Trump and other global leaders to cement the Gaza truce, Merz says the meeting in Egypt shows that the end of war is possible if the international community stands together.

Newly released hostage Alon Ohel plays piano for the first time in two years

Freed Israeli hostage Alon Ohel gestures from a van as he arrives at Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, after he was released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Newly released hostage Alon Ohel, a musician, has played the piano for the first time since October 7, 2023, in his hospital room at the Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv, his mother Idit Ohel tells Channel 12.

“A few minutes ago, he sat at the piano in his room, and played a bit, after two years without touching a piano,” she says, adding that slowly he will get back to playing at the level he was used to.

Ohel’s families used donated pianos around the world as a way to raise awareness of his plight.

Asked about the poor condition of one of Alon’s eyes as reported by hostages released earlier this year, she says that “Alon sees very little from his right eye.”

“He has not undergone exhaustive tests yet; we will see,” she adds.

Idit stresses that her son does not know anything about what has happened in Israel in the past two years, other than that there was a war.

“He was shocked to see so many people at the Hostage Square, and strangers holding his picture,” she says.

“We are taking it step by step, at Alon’s pace,” she adds.

Released hostage Alon Ohel (C) is seen reunited with his family at the IDF’s Re’im base after over two years in Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025 (IDF)

Trump to PM: You’ll be remembered for this more than if you kept this going ‘kill, kill, kill’

US President Donald Trump says countries in the region “like Israel a lot more today than they did five weeks ago,” likely referring to Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha.

“You’ve come back strong because it was getting to be a little nasty out there in the world, and ultimately the world wins,” he says.

He praises Israel for doing so much for such a small country. “The world is loving Israel again.”

“The world is big, and it’s strong, and ultimately, the world wins,” he says.

“What a victory it’s been,” says Trump, adding that if Israel kept fighting for years, “it was getting bad. It was getting heated.”

“The timing of this is brilliant, and I said, Bibi, you’re going to remembered for this far more than if you kept this thing going, going, going, kill, kill, kill.”

“I just want to congratulate you for having the courage to say that’s it, we’ve won, and now let’s enjoy our lives and let’s rebuild Israel and make it stronger and bigger and better than it’s ever been before,” says Trump.

Hamas names 4 hostages whose bodies will be handed over today: Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, Daniel Perez

Top row (L-R) Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, 2nd row (L-R) Bipin Joshi, Daniel Perez

Hamas releases the names of four dead hostages whose bodies the terror group is expected to transfer to the Red Cross today.

The hostages are Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and Daniel Perez.

The statement does not specify when the transfer will take place.

The fate of Joshi, a Nepali agricultural student, had not been confirmed by Israel, but it has expressed “grave concern” about him.

Illouz was taken from the Nova festival and succumbed to his wounds in a Gaza hospital, apparently due to lack of medical treatment. His death was confirmed in December 2023.

Perez, 22, a platoon commander in the 7th Armored Brigade’s 77th Battalion, from Yad Binyamin, was killed battling Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Sharabi, 53, the brother of freed hostage Eli Sharabi, from Kibbutz Be’eri, was kidnapped from his home on October 7 and slain in captivity.

Trump waves goodbye as he boards plane at Ben Gurion Aiport heading for Egypt

US President Donald Trump waves goodbye at the top of the stairs leading to Air Force One, as he departs Ben Gurion Airport and heads to Egypt for a global leaders summit on Gaza.

Trump ribs Netanyahu, Ohana for long speeches that delayed his departure for Egypt summit

Saying that he’s been kept “quite late” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “brilliant but very long speech,” US President Donald Trump says that “I thought I was going to run up here, make a speech, and then head to Egypt.”

“And you made a pretty long one too, sir,” he says to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

“But I liked what you all said. It could be worse,” says Trump.

Trump says he is heading to Egypt to “meet with the most powerful, the richest nations in the world.”

He might be so late that everyone might have left by the time he gets there, Trump jokes.

“The Middle East is finally ready to embrace its extraordinary potential,” he says.

Extremism, jihadism, and antisemitism have a been a “disaster,” he says. “They’ve totally backfired.”

They have delivered “failure and death,” he says, and have not weakened Israel.

The nations that decided to make peace “are now among the most successful in the region. They’re getting along with Israel and they’re doing great.”

He calls on more countries to join the Abraham Accords. He blasts Barack Obama for not being much worse than the Biden Administration, to laughter and applause in the Knesset.

Father of hostage Tamir Nimrodi, who was not released today among living captives, says son’s fate ‘hasn’t been proven’

Tamir Nimrodi was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, from his army base near Erez Crossing. (Courtesy)

As 20 living hostages have been brought back to Israel and transferred to local hospitals, Alon Nimrodi, the father of hostage Tamir Nimrodi, who was not among those freed today, sends out a message on social media.

“I want to clarify to all that Tamir, from the first day, was listed as a living hostage, and also today, despite the heavy cloud, it hasn’t been proven otherwise,” writes Alon Nimrodi.

The fates of Nimrodi, a soldier taken hostage during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, and Bipin Joshi, a Nepali agricultural student also taken hostage, have not been confirmed by Israel, but it has expressed “grave concern” about them. Neither one was released on Monday and no announcement has been made regarding their status.

“Bibi normalized the number 20 instead of 22,” says Nimrodi, referring to the list of 20 living hostages mentioned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent weeks.

Nimrodi added that he and his ex-wife, Herut Nimrodi, did not receive any updates regarding Tamir and were not asked to come to “prepare a bag” of their son’s belongings and bring it to the IDF base at Re’im, where the living hostages were brought.

Nimrodi stresses that there is still no final announcement regarding his son’s fate and that nothing has been confirmed yet.

Aharon Mizrahi, 76, dies of wounds sustained in Iranian missile attack in June

Aharon Mizrahi, 76, a resident of Ramat Gan, who was hit by an Iranian missile during Operation Rising Lion, died from his injuries last night, according to Hebrew news outlets.

Iran retaliated to Israel’s June strikes targeting Tehran’s nuclear program and military sites by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel.

The attacks killed 32 people and wounded over 3,000 in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.

Israeli officials working to increase number of slain hostages to be returned today – report

Israel’s negotiation team and defense officials are holding intensive discussions on how to secure the return of the remaining deceased hostages in Gaza, the Kan Public broadcaster says in an unsourced report.

Earlier today, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said that they had been notified that only four of the 28 bodies of dead hostages would be returned to Israel today, calling it a “blatant breach” of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

There has not been an announcement on the identities of the four, and there has been no confirmation from Israeli authorities on the number of bodies expected today.

Hamas has warned that it would have difficulties locating some of the bodies.

President Isaac Herzog writes in a Hebrew-language post on X that with the return of the 20 living hostages from Gaza today, “we do not for a moment forget the grieving families whose loved ones have not yet returned.”

“We will not rest and we will not be silent until we fulfill our sacred moral, Jewish, and human obligation — to bring back all our hostages…Until every doubt is lifted and every family finds closure,” he says.

Trump, in Knesset, says Israel has ‘won all that it can by force of arms,’ praises Lapid

US President Donald Trump speaks at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says the Gaza ceasefire “was the most challenging breakthrough, maybe ever.”

He says that people are dancing in the streets around the world.

“This long and difficult war has ended,” he says.

He says that the entire region “has endorsed the plan that Gaza has been demilitarized, Hamas will be disarmed, and Israel’s security will no longer be threatened in any way, shape or form.”

Israel has “won all that it can by force of arms,” he says. “You’ve won.”

Now it’s time to translate battlefield victories into peace and prosperity for the entire region, he says.

Trump praises Yesh Atid chair Yair Lapid, saying “he’s a very nice opposition leader.”

“He’s a nice man. Bibi, he’s a nice man,” he says to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, using the premier’s nickname.

“Now you can be a little bit nicer because you’re not at war anymore, Bibi,” he says.

Trump again floats peace between Israel and Iran in Knesset speech

US President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

US President Donald Trump says that Iran “took a big hit.”

“Didn’t they take a big hit? Boy oh boy,” he says as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nods.

He says it would be great if a peace deal could be hammered out between Iran and Israel. “Would you be happy with that? Wouldn’t it be nice?” he asks Netanyahu. “Because I think they want to. I think they’re tired.”

Trump says Iran is not restarting their nuclear program. “The last thing they want to do is start digging holes again in mountains that just got blown up.”

“They want to survive, OK?” he says.

He says his team “can get that deal done easy, but first we have to get Russia done,” presumably a reference to Trump’s efforts to secure a peace deal in the war in Ukraine.

Iran, which has called for Israel’s elimination and funded a network of terror groups that seek its destruction, has rejected the notion of normalizing its relations with Jerusalem.

Turning to Lebanon, Trump says that “the dagger of Hezbollah, long aimed at Israel’s throat, has been totally shattered.”

He expresses support for the new Lebanese government’s efforts to permanently disarm Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, “and build a thriving state at peace with its neighbors.”

Katz meets with Hegseth on sidelines of Trump visit to Israel

Defense Minister Israel Katz (R) meets US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (Shlomi Amsalem/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz met with his American counterpart, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on the sidelines of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Israel.

“I told him that this is a joyful day for all of us and thanked him for President Trump’s great assistance in the release of our hostages, alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu, and for the heroic fighting of IDF soldiers in putting pressure on Hamas in Gaza,” Katz says in a statement.

“I told him that every time the US and Israel act together, like in Iran and also in Gaza, we win. I emphasized that now we must act with all our might to ensure the return of all the fallen hostages home and to act to ensure that Hamas is disarmed and Gaza is demilitarized according to President Trump’s plan, to remove threats from the State of Israel,” he adds.

Police storm bus of released Gazan detainees due to ‘celebratory display’ before they continue to Gaza

Prison officials say guards stormed a bus full of former Gazan detainees who were released from prison and en route to the enclave after some of them pulled the vehicle’s window curtains aside in a “celebratory display.”

Members of the Israel Prison Service’s Masada unit “stormed the bus, employed measures against those disturbing the order and immediately restored prison governance” without causing injuries, the officials say.

The bus later continued on to Gaza.

Israel released a total of 1,968 security prisoners and Gazan detainees today, as part of a US-backed hostage-release and ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza, IPS confirms.

Security forces in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have been keeping a close eye on freed security prisoners and their families to ensure their release is not celebrated publicly.

Trump celebrates success of June war with Iran in Knesset speech

US President Donald Trump says that all across the Middle East, “the forces of chaos, terror, and ruin that have plagued the region for decades now stand weakened, isolated, and totally defeated.”

“A new coalition of proud and responsible nations is emerging,” he says. “The enemies of all civilization are in retreat.”

He praises the skill and bravery of the IDF in the 12-day air war with Iran in June, saying that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir “looks like he’s from central casting.”

“Great job,” he says. “My people loved working with you. They worked so well together.”

He celebrates the fact that so many Iranian operatives and top scientists “have been extinguished from this earth.”

Trump talks about the “beautiful B-2 bombers” that struck Iran in the US attack on the country’s nuclear facilities. “I thought they were pretty planes, I had no idea they could do what they did,” he says.

He says that together, Israel and the US “stopped the number-one state sponsor of terror from obtaining the world’s most dangerous weapons.”

Iran would’ve had the nuclear weapons in two months or less if they hadn’t struck its facilities, says Trump, and the Middle Eastern countries who back the Gaza ceasefire deal wouldn’t have done so in the face of a nuclear Iran. “We took a big cloud off the Middle East, and off of Israel,” says Trump.

“This was our last shot,” he says. “And it was an honor to help.”

WATCH: Freed hostage sees father, who had a stroke, standing for the 1st time in years

Freed hostage Bar Kuperstein meets family members including father Tal (2nd left) after he was released from captivity on October 13, 2025 (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Bar Kuperstein hugs his father Tal Kuperstein, who is standing up from his wheelchair — the first time the freed hostage saw his father able to do so since he underwent a stroke during surgery some five years ago.

Tal Kuperstein learned to speak again over the past two years so that he could advocate for his son.

בר קופרשטיין רואה לראשונה את אביו טל נעמד על הרגליים לאחר שלקה בשיתוק מוחין בעקבות תאונה@ofekneuberger pic.twitter.com/nArNS4MOgb

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) October 13, 2025

Read more: Hostage’s father struggles to speak again in effort to bring his son home

In a photo, Tal stands with his arm around Bar, who is wrapped in an Israeli flag, and with Bar’s mother, Julie, his grandmother, and his brother.

The family sends out a statement, giving thanks that Kuperstein made it home.

“Two years of an impossible journey — two years in which we did everything we could to make sure everyone knew who Bar is — and now, everyone will finally get to truly know him,” writes the family.

“Two years during which Tal kept moving forward, doing everything possible despite his own challenges — all so he could be ready for that hug with Bar,” they state. “We knew that Bar too was full of faith, courage, and strength. Thank God, he survived the horrors. Now it’s time for him — and for us — to heal.”

They thank God, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, as well as the “beautiful” people of Israel.

Released hostages Nimrod Cohen, Yosef-Haim Ohana, and Bar Kuperstein flown to hospital in central Israel

Freed hostage Bar Kuperstein meets family members including father Tal (2nd left) after he was released from captivity on October 13, 2025 (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Released hostages Nimrod Cohen, Yosef-Haim Ohana, and Bar Kuperstein, along with their families, are being taken in Israeli Air Force helicopters from the Re’im base in southern Israel to a hospital in central Israel, the military says.

The hostages are set to meet more family members at the hospital and undergo rehabilitation after over two years in Hamas captivity.

In Knesset speech, Trump calls on Herzog to pardon Netanyahu for corruption charges

US President Donald Trump (L) holds hands and speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)

In a speech to the Knesset, US President Donald Trump calls on President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial on corruption charges, and stands accused of of fraud and breach of trust over a scandal involving the acceptance of luxury gifts.

“I have an idea, why don’t you give Netanyahu a pardon?” Trump says during a speech in the Knesset, in comments directed at Herzog. Trump erroneously calls Netanyahu “one of the great wartime presidents,” rather than referring to him as prime minister.

Trump adds, in a reference to the gifts Netanyahu allegedly received, “Who cares about cigars and champagne?”

The aside prompts murmurs and crosstalk, as well as applause, in the Knesset.

This is not the first time that Trump has called for Netanyahu to be let off the legal hook. This summer, the US president demanded the end of Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial in a lengthy post on Truth Social.

“BREAKING NEWS… I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister!” Trump wrote at the time.

Trump won’t visit freed hostages in hospital due to time constraints, Israeli official says

US President Donald Trump at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on October 13, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

US President Donald Trump will not be visiting Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan to meet with freed hostages after his Knesset speech, as previously planned, due to time constraints in his schedule, an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.

Trump, who recently finished speaking at the Knesset, is already running considerably past his original planned departure time of 1:00 p.m., and is expected soon at a summit of world leaders convening in Egypt to advance his Gaza peace plan.

Trump at Knesset: For Israelis and Palestinians, ‘the long and painful nightmare is finally over’

US President Donald Trump (L), Knesset speaker Amir Ohana (C) and President Isaac Herzog at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (Kenny HOLSTON / POOL / AFP)

US President Donald Trump recalls how the war started on the Simchat Torah holiday, using the Hebrew name.

He says it was “one of the most evil and heinous desecrations of innocent life the world has ever seen, and the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.”

He says Hamas’s cruelty in the October 7, 2023, attack “struck to the core of humanity itself.” America joins Israel in the vows “Never forget,” and “Never again,” he says.

He says that Israel has shouldered burdens during the war “that only a proud and faithful people could withstand.”

“Now at least, not only for Israel, but also for Palestinians and many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over,” he promises.

As the dust settles and debris is cleared in Gaza, he says, “the dawn breaks on a region transformed, and a beautiful and much brighter future appears suddenly within your reach. This is now a very exciting time for Israel.”

Indonesian officials deny reports president will visit Israel tomorrow

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto speaks during a signing ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on September 24, 2025. (Dave Chan / AFP)

Indonesian officials deny reports that Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto will arrive tomorrow in Israel, which would mark the first visit of a head of state from Jakarta to the country, saying that Subianto will return home tomorrow after participating in the international summit on ending the Gaza war at Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh today.

An Israeli source says it looks unlikely that the visit will happen tomorrow.

According to CNN Indonesia, the country’s Foreign Minister, Sugiono, says in a statement about the rumored visit: “It is not true. As originally planned, the president will return to Indonesia after the events in Egypt are concluded.”

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Yvonne Mewengkang, is also quoted as dismissing reports of the trip.

Freed hostages Segev Kalfon, David and Ariel Cunio seen in first public videos since Oct. 7

Released hostage David Cunio after he was handed over to the IDF after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

New footage and images show the moment hostages Segev Kalfon and brothers David and Ariel Cunio were handed over to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip earlier today, after being freed from Hamas captivity after over two years.

It is the first time footage of any of the three has been aired since October 7, 2023.

Segev Kalfon was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, where he was last seen attempting to flee terrorists along the highway. Before the attack, he worked at his family’s bakery in Dimona, in southern Israel.

David Cunio was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his wife Sharon and two young daughters, who were freed in November 2023. In August, Sharon Cunio said she had seen unpublished video “from a certain period in his captivity, and he doesn’t look very good. He looks very desperate, and hungry, and misses me and his family.”

Ariel Cunio was taken from the home he shared on Kibbutz Nir Oz with girlfriend Arbel Yehoud, who was freed in January.

Additional pictures show Alon Ohel meeting with his family at the IDF’s Re’im base — where all 20 hostages were brought to today — and aboard an Israeli Air Force helicopter en route to a hospital in central Israel.

Released hostage Ariel Cunio after he was handed over to the IDF after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostage Segev Kalfon after he was handed over to the IDF after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostage Alon Ohel (C) is seen reunited with his family at the IDF’s Re’im base after over two years in Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025 (IDF)

Trump tells Knesset he is ‘all about stopping wars’ but will ‘not be politically correct’ when fighting them

US President Donald Trump (L) reacts as he receives a standing ovation before speaking at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

After complimenting other officials, US President Donald Trump praises his Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, predicting he will go down as the greatest secretary of state in US history.

“He was always smart and sharp and people respect him,” says Trump.

Trump also recognizes Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, saying that the US military is stronger than it has ever been. “We’ve now settled eight wars in eight months,” he says, including the Gaza war.

He says “it feels so good to say” that the hostages are back.

Trump stresses that “his personality is all about stopping wars, and it seems to work.”

If America does go to war, he says, “we’re going to win that war like nobody has ever won a war before. We will not be politically correct.”

“Peace through strength, that’s what it’s all about,” he says, repeating what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his address.

Trump says the US has the best weapons, and “we’ve given a lot of them to Israel, frankly.”

He says “Bibi would call me so many times – can you get me this weapon, that weapon, and some of them I’d never heard of.”

“But we’d get them here, wouldn’t we,” he says, adding this “Israel knew how to use them well.”

Trump praises Witkoff as ‘Henry Kissinger who doesn’t leak’ in speech to Knesset

White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is recognized by President Donald Trump during his speech to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem, as Lauren Rappoport watches. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

US President Donald Trump praises special envoy Steve Witkoff’s negotiating prowess and personability.

Trump calls Witkoff “Henry Kissinger who doesn’t leak.”

The Knesset gives Witkoff a standing ovation after Trump tells a long story about Witkoff’s work negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moving on to his son-in-law Jared Kushner, he says he didn’t know his daughter Ivanka, Kushner’s wife, was going to convert to Judaism. “And Bibi, you do know this was not in the cards for me, you understand that,” says Trump.

He praises Kushner for being the architect of the Abraham Accords, this time using the proper Hebrew pronunciation after falling short last month in Washington. “Avraham, it’s so cool. So much, sorta, nicer. The Abraham, versus the Avraham.”

Streets in Tel Aviv go quiet as nation watches hostages go free

Bezalel Market, an open-air shopping area in Tel Aviv, is deserted on the morning of October 13, 2025. (Sharon Wrobel/Times of Israel)

The streets of Tel Aviv were eerily calm and fairly deserted in the early hours of the morning as tens of thousands of Israelis gathered at Hostages Square and in front of their screens, watching together the release of the 20 living hostages held captive in Gaza.

Others were glued to their TVs, computers or phones, leaving little trace of the hustle and bustle that would normally characterize the busy streets of Tel Aviv on the eve of the Simchat Torah holiday, a short workday.

In the streets and alleys of the usually buzzing Tel Aviv Carmel food market and the close-by open-air Bezalel clothing market, some stall and shop owners decided to keep their businesses shut or to open late in the morning. Those who opened early were glued to their phones and others had their radios blaring the news.

Around noon, after scenes had been broadcast of all the living Israeli hostages being released by Hamas and transferred to the hands of IDF troops, many shopping sites and half-empty coffee shops in central Tel Aviv started to come back to life.

“After watching our hostages released and freed, we are seeing that people are coming out of their homes to do their shopping and run errands before the start of the Simchat Torah holiday,” says a sales assistant at boutique pastry shop, Gabby’s Goodies, at the Carmel Market. “We will remain open until late this afternoon to serve everyone as needed.”

A view of the Carmel Market on October 13, 2025. (Sharon Wrobel/Times of Israel)

Trump lauds Netanyahu, says he’s ‘not the easiest guy’ but ‘that’s what makes him great’

US President Donald Trump at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on October 13, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

US President Donald Trump praises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “great courage and patriotism” in his address to the Knesset, saying “his partnership did so much to make this day possible.”

He asks Netanyahu to stand up as the plenum applauds.

“And he’s not easy, I wanna tell you,” says Trump. “He’s not the easiest guy to deal with. But that’s what makes him great.”

“Thank you very much, Bibi. Great job,” he says.

Trump thanks the Arab and Muslim countries who pressured Hamas to free the hostages it was holding, calling it “an incredible triumph for Israel to have all these nations working together as partners in peace.”

“This will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,” he says. “It will be the golden age of Israel, and the golden age of the Middle East.”

Images show released hostages Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, Eitan Horn handed over to IDF earlier today

Released hostage Nimrod Cohen after he was handed over to the IDF after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

New footage and images show released hostages Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, and Eitan Horn, being handed over to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip earlier today.

All have since been brought out of the Strip to the IDF’s Re’im base for an initial checkup and to meet with families.

Released hostage Rom Braslavski meets Israeli forces in Gaza after being freed from Hamas captivity, October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostage Eitan Horn after he was handed over to the IDF after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

‘The sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,’ says Trump in first US presidential address to Knesset since 2008

US President Donald Trump speaks to the Knesset, October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

Speaking before the Knesset, US President Donald Trump says it’s a “great honor.”

Trump says it is a day to give thanks to “the almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

“Today 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,” says Trump, after praising the bravery of the 20 living hostages who returned to their families this morning.

He expresses his hope that “the region will live in peace for all eternity.”

It is not only the end of war, he says, “it is also the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God.”

It’s the start of an “age of concord” for Israel and the countries of the region, he promises. “It’s the historic dawn of the new Middle East,” he says.

Netanyahu predicts new treaties with Arab countries ‘will happen a lot faster than people think’

US President Donald Trump (L), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Knesset Speak Amir Ohana at the Knesset on October 13, 2025 (Screen grab)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he “has never seen anyone move the world so quickly, so decisively, so resolutely” as US President Donald Trump has.

With Israel’s military pressure and Trump’s “global pressure,” says Netanyahu in a speech at the Knesset ahead of Trump’s address, “We’ve achieved this historic moment.”

Netanyahu tells Trump his decision to bomb the Fordo nuclear site in Iran and to kill IRGC head Qassem Soleimani in 2020 “changed the balance of power in the world.”

“You brought America back again to the driver’s seat,” says Netanyahu.

“The last two years have been a time of war,” says Netanyahu. “The coming two years will hopefully be a time of peace. Peace inside Israel and peace outside Israel.”

“I look forward to continuing marching with you on the path we paved together with the Abraham Accords,” he says, looking forward to new treaties “with Arab countries in the region and Muslim countries beyond the region.”

He adds, “Abraham’s children will work together to build a better future, a future that will unite civilization against barbarism, light against darkness, and hope against despair.”

“This will happen a lot faster than people think,” he says. “As prime minister of Israel, I extend my hand to all those who seek peace with us. No one wants peace more than the people of Israel.”

It is time, he says, “to expand the circle of peace.”

Netanyahu tells Trump he has submitted his nomination to be the first non-Israeli recipient of the Israel Prize, adding that Trump will get the Nobel Peace Prize as well.

“When others were weak, you were strong. When others were fearful, you were bold. When others abandoned us, you stood by our side,” says Netanyahu.

The two embrace and chat briefly after Netanyahu’s address.

Watching Trump speech, Hostages Square faithful told not to jeer Netanyahu

Silence engulfs Hostages Square as the crowd watches US President Donald Trump address the Knesset on a large screen.

When he mentions Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and when the premier appears briefly on the screen, the MC at Hostages Square quickly shuts down any potential jeers.

“No, no, no,” she says. “Guys, we’re honoring Trump.”

The crowd applauds when Trump mentions his special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, architect of the ceasefire-hostage deal.

During a speech by Witkoff at the square on Saturday, crowds jeered Netanyahu, drawing criticism.

The MC repeats her call on the audience to remain apolitical when Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana ejects left-wing lawmakers Ofer Cassif and Ayman Odeh for heckling the US president.

“We’re not right and not left,” she says. “Just straight.”

The screen did not play previous speeches by Ohana, Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, opting instead to show emerging footage from the freed hostages and their families.

Two MKs from mainly Arab party ejected from Knesset for holding up signs during Trump’s speech; one said, ‘Recognize Palestine’

MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of the mainly Arab Hadash-Ta’al party, is removed from the Knesset plenum after holding up a sign calling on US President Donald Trump to “recognize Palestine” during a speech by the American leader. The Arab-Israeli MK is a vocal proponent of Palestinian statehood, which Israel’s government rejects.

Ofer Cassif, the party’s only Jewish MK, also attempts to hold up a sign and is removed as well.

After they are removed, Trump declares, “That was very efficient,” and continues his speech.

Hadash-Ta’al MKs Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif removed from Trump’s speech after holding up signs calling to “recognize Palestine.”

Trump quips that the ejection was “very efficient.” pic.twitter.com/0tvs7JbSAS

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) October 13, 2025

The lawmakers defend their conduct on social media. In a post on X, Cassif declares that he and Odeh “didn’t come to disrupt, but to demand justice.”

“True peace that will save both peoples of this land from destruction will only come with the end of the occupation and apartheid and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel,” he writes. “Refuse to be occupiers! Resist the government of bloodshed!”

“They removed me from the plenum just because I raised the simplest demand, a demand that the entire international community agrees on: to recognize a Palestinian state,” posts Odeh.

Only four of 28 bodies of dead hostages to be returned today, families forum says, denouncing ‘blatant breach of agreement by Hamas’

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum says only four of the 28 bodies of dead hostages will be returned to Israel today, calling it a “blatant breach” of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

There has not been an announcement on the identities of the four, and there has been no confirmation from Israeli authorities on the number of bodies expected today.

Several families of dead hostages were told by Israeli authorities yesterday that their loved ones’ bodies would not be returned today or tomorrow, and that Israel would spare no effort to locate and return them. However, numerous sources had indicated that the majority of the dead hostages would be returned today or soon afterward.

Hamas had warned that it would have difficulties locating some of the bodies.

“This represents a blatant breach of the agreement by Hamas. We expect Israel’s government and the mediators to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice,” the forum says, noting it is “shocked and dismayed.”

“The families of the deceased hostages are enduring especially difficult days filled with deep sorrow,” says the group. “We will not abandon any hostage. The mediators must enforce the agreement’s terms and ensure Hamas pays a price for this violation.”

Earlier today, 20 living hostages were released under the deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, who is currently in Israel.

In Knesset speech next to Trump, Lapid says US leader has ‘saved millions’ from war, deserved Nobel

Addressing US President Donald Trump at the Knesset, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid lauds the American leader for saving “millions from the horrors of war,” stating that he has “done the unimaginable.”

“Mr. President, you have saved the lives of our hostages. But you saved so much more. You have saved the souls of the bereaved whose loved ones now will be brought home for burial, you have saved thousands of soldiers who will not fall in battle, and you have saved millions from the horrors of war. You have saved far more than one life, and each life is an entire world,” Lapid declares in the Knesset plenum ahead of Trump’s address to the body.

“When you were elected, you declared that you would be ‘the President of Peace.’ You have kept your word. The fact that you were not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is a grave mistake by the committee – but they will have no choice, Mr. President. They will have to award it to you next year,” Lapid says.

Lapid gets a standing ovation (including from Bibi) when he declares in Knesset that “when you stand with Israel, you stand on the side of justice.” pic.twitter.com/q4P1Tmwqgl

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) October 13, 2025

“We will be eternally grateful – but we also need to take responsibility,” Lapid says. “The destiny of Israel will always be written by the people of Israel. We must now prove ourselves worthy of what has been achieved.”

Asserting that “Israel is the strongest nation in the Middle East because it is the only democracy in the Middle East,” Lapid calls on “all the nations of the Islamic world” to “come talk to us.”

“We are here to stay. Our story did not end in the Bible, it began there,” he adds, calling on Trump to advance normalization efforts between Israel and other countries.

“Mr. President, you are the one who can make it happen — as you did with the historic Abraham Accords. Then, too, no one believed it was possible. Then, too, you imposed your vision on everyone. While others spoke of difficulties, you created opportunity. You can be the one to bring the next wave of peace. The people of Israel support this. They want it. We are ready.”

Appealing to the “deal-maker who understands value” to deepen “our eternal alliance,” Lapid says, “if there were one stock in the world I would invest in today, it would be the State of Israel.”

Netanyahu on Trump comeback: ‘Overnight, everything changed’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it is a “momentous day, a day of great joy, as the hostages come home.”

“At the beginning of the war, I promised to bring all the hostages home,” Netanyahu says.

“Today, with the indispensable help, the determined and focused help, the unremitting help, of President Trump and his team, and with the incredible sacrifice and courage of the soldiers of Israel, we are fulfilling that promise,” says Netanyahu.

He blasts foreign leaders for falling for Hamas propaganda, and for “succumbing to antisemitic mobs” throughout the war.

Had Israel given in to their demands to end the war, says Netanyahu, not only would Iran’s axis and nuclear program remain intact, “in no time the Hamas killers would be back on the border fence ready to repeat the horrors of October 7 again and again, as they vowed to do.”

Just at the point of maximum pressure on Israel, Trump was elected, says Netanyahu.

“Overnight, everything changed,” says Netanyahu, pointing out the second ceasefire and the creation of a path to end the war on Israel’s terms.

“Two months ago, you fully backed my decision to send the IDF into the last Hamas stronghold, in Gaza City,” says Netanyahu.

Despite all the criticism, says Netanyahu, he and Trump were right that the military pressure would cause Hamas to cave. He also praises Trump for bringing “most of the Arab world, most of world, behind your proposal to free the hostages and end the war.”

Released hostage Avinatan Or, seen for first time in 2 years, looks noticeably thin in photos

Released hostage Avinatan Or (L) with an IDF officer after he was handed over after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, October 13, (Israel Defense Forces)

New photos show released hostage Avinatan Or being handed over to the IDF in the Gaza Strip earlier today.

Or appears noticeably thin after over two years in Hamas captivity. He is seen wearing a quasi-military uniform that Hamas also forced other released hostages to wear during their release.

He has since been brought to the IDF’s Re’im base in Israel.

Or was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who was rescued by Israeli forces in June 2024.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas released a video of the pair being kidnapped during its attack, which has become some of the most well-known footage from that day.

Or had not been seen in any subsequent footage since the October 7 onslaught.

Hailing troops, Netanyahu touts might as ‘indispensable foundation of peace’

US President Donald Trump (R) listens to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addresses the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the families of fallen IDF soldiers that he knows “the depth of your pain. I know the inconsolable grief that will accompany you for the rest of your lives.”

Israel will thrive and enjoy peace because of these heroes, says Netanyahu.

Netanyahu points out Israeli-American IDF soldier Ari Spitz, who lost both his legs and a hand in the war. Trump stands and waves to him as the room applauds.

Israel’s people pledged “Never Again – never again would we be defenseless against our enemies,” Netanyahu says, lauding the courage of the public.

That strength “ensures peace,” he says.

Israel’s enemies understand “how powerful and how determined Israel is,” says Netanyahu.

They understand that the October 7 attacks were “a catastrophic mistake,” says Netanyahu. “They understand that Israel is strong, and that Israel is here to stay. And this, Mr. President, is the indispensable foundation of peace.”

Videos shows emotional reunions as hostages return to parents’ embrace

New footage shows released hostages Matan Zangauker and Eitan Mor reuniting with their parents at the IDF’s Re’im base earlier.

Zangauker and Mor’s parents were a study in contrasts over the last two years, with the latter opposing many hostage deals, and the former among the loudest and angriest advocates for a deal to end the war and free the captives.

The reunions are strikingly similar though, with tearful embraces.

“My life, my life, you don’t understand,” Einav Zangauker cries as she hugs her son.

Released hostage Matan Zangauker reunites with his mother, Einav, at the IDF’s Re’im base, October 13, 2025. (Courtesy)

Zvika Mor, meanwhile, cannot manage any words through his sobs as he tightly holds Eitan as mother Efrat looks on.

Released hostage Eitan Mor reunites with his parents, Efrat and Zvika, at the IDF’s Re’im base October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Netanyahu, in speech next to Trump, says today, ‘the Jewish calendar marks the end of two years of war’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that today, the Jewish calendar “marks the end of two years of war.”

Netanyahu tells Trump, who is due to speak after him at the Knesset, that Israel remembers the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that launched the war, in which thousands of terrorists invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 people, committed numerous atrocities and took 251 people hostage, including many children.

“These monsters take babies as hostages,” Netanyahu says.

In response, Netanyahu continues, “Israel did what it had to do. With indomitable courage, we set out to defend our people, to defeat our enemies, and to release our hostages.”

Israel achieved “amazing victories over Hamas and the entire Iranian terror axis,” he says.

Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been “rolled back,” he tells Trump.

Bennett lists names of fallen soldiers in post marking release of hostages

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during the Israel Information Technology Conference in Ness Ziona, May 5, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett writes that Israel cannot forget Israeli soldiers who have fallen since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, as all 20 living hostages have been released under the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage-release deal today.

“Especially at this moment, all of Israel does not forget the IDF soldiers who fell for us,” he says, before listing in several posts on X the names of the “915 fallen heroes.”

The names include those of soldiers, officers, and reservists, including several dozen local security officers, who have been killed since the October 7 attack. Of them, 329 were killed during the Hamas-led onslaught, and at least 468 were killed during the ground offensive in Gaza and related border operations.

Bennett, who briefly unseated Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister in 2021, is planning to run in upcoming Knesset elections, slated for next year, and a new party he founded routinely finishes at or near the top of pre-election polls.

Once held captive together, former hostages Siegel and Angrest speak

Released hostage Matan Angrest speaks on the phone with former captive Keith Siegel on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy Hostages Forum)

Former hostage Keith Siegel speaks on a video call with released hostage Matan Angrest, now in Israel and wearing a green Maccabi Haifa scarf around his neck.

For the two former hostages, it is their first conversation after being kept captive together in Gaza.

Siegel, who was freed from captivity during the January-February 2025 ceasefire, was held with Angrest, an IDF soldier who was kidnapped from a tank by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, as he and his comrades battled Hamas terrorists and fought to guard Kibbutz Nahal Oz on that day.

Siegel has said in the past that Angrest fought to retake Siegel’s community, Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on October 7, and has spoken about Angrest’s serious injuries on October 7, and the abuse and violence he underwent in the Gaza tunnels.

“I love you so much and your family is as wonderful as you told me,” says Siegel from the Hostages Forum offices in Tel Aviv, who has been part of the struggle to bring home the remaining hostages since his own release in January 2025.

“Thank you,” says Angrest.

“We’ll reunite as soon as the moment is right, I’ll be there,” says Siegel. “You’re a hero, Matan, how you were able to survive.”

Angrest tells Siegel that he feels “completely normal, like anyone else.”

He adds that it is a big privilege for him to live in Israel, “to live in this nation.”

“What you did for us and this place,” says Siegel. “I can’t describe how wonderful you are, and you should feel so proud of yourself.”

Netanyahu, speaking ahead of Trump Knesset address, thanks him for Gaza ‘proposal that ends the war’

US President Donald Trump (R) listens to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addresses the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US President Donald Trump for his “proposal that ends the war by achieving all our objectives.”

He says the proposal “opens the door to an historic expansion of peace in our region and beyond our region.”

“You are committed to this peace, I am committed to this peace,” he tells Trump. “Together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace.”

Netanyahu’s government did not vote to end the war last week, when it approved the first phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Trump has several times stressed that “the war is over,” including to reporters on his flight to Israel.

Netanyahu lauds Trump ahead of his Knesset address: ‘You will be etched in the history of our people’

US President Donald Trump (R) listens to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addresses the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)

Speaking at the Knesset ahead of an address by US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells him in Hebrew that “you will be etched in the history of our people.”

“You’ve already been etched in the history of humanity,” Netanyahu tells Trump, sitting next to the prime minister at the dais. “We remember our friends, and we know your important and decisive role in bringing back the rest of our hostages.”

“Thank you, President Trump,” Netanyahu says. “Thank you.”

Switching to English, Netanyahu thanks Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the US embassy to the capital, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, standing up for Israel at the United Nations, recognizing Israeli rights in the West Bank, brokering the Abraham Accords, withdrawing from the JCPOA Iran nuclear deal, and striking Iran in June.

“Donald Trump is the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House,” says Netanyahu.

Hamas forces said to kill 32 members of Gaza ‘gang’ since start of ceasefire

A Hamas terrorist fighter takes up a position ahead of a hostage release in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, February 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Hamas forces have killed 32 members of “a gang” in Gaza City in a campaign launched after a ceasefire came into effect on Friday, while six of their personnel were also killed in the violence, a Palestinian source says.

The source says the operation in Gaza City had targeted members of a “dangerous gang affiliated with a family in Gaza City.” The operation had led to the arrest of 24 people and 30 others being wounded, the official says.

Since the ceasefire began late last week in the terror group’s two-year-long war with Israel, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza has deployed forces in what it has described as an effort to prevent a security vacuum that would be filled by lawlessness and looting.

While US President Donald Trump has demanded Hamas disarm under a plan to end the Gaza war, he indicated that it had a green light for internal security operations, saying they wanted “to stop the problems” and “we gave them approval for a period of time.”

Hamas released 20 living Israeli hostages today as part of the ceasefire.

The Palestinian official did not identify the “gang” involved, although there are several clans in Gaza that have long been seen as rivals to Hamas but who only emerged in more open opposition as the war ground on. There have been several clashes.

However, the official said the “gang” was not part of a group led by the most prominent anti-Hamas rebel, Yasser Abu Shabab, who is based in Rafah in southern Gaza, an area controlled by Israel.

Hamas has accused Abu Shabab and his supporters of being collaborators with Israel. He denies receiving Israeli support or having contacts with the Israeli army.

The Hamas official said a senior aide to Abu Shabab “has been liquidated” since the terror group’s campaign started with the ceasefire, and said the hunt for Abu Shabab was underway.

“The security campaign is continuing and escalating until this issue is completely over, and no party will be allowed to violate the law,” he added.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Knesset speaker lauds Trump as ‘giant of Jewish history’

US President Donald Trump (L), Knesset speaker Amir Ohana (C) and President Isaac Herzog at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (Kenny HOLSTON / POOL / AFP)

Speaking for over 20 minutes, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana calls US President Donald Trump a “colossus who will be enshrined in the pantheon of history,” declaring that the Jewish people will remember him “thousands of years from now.”

Reciting the blessing to be said upon seeing a king, Ohana thanks Trump for visiting Israel and recites a list of his accomplishments, from recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy to the city to brokering the Abraham Accords and striking the Iranian nuclear program during this summer’s war.

“Mr. President, you stand before the people of Israel not as another American president, but as a giant of Jewish history — one for whom we must look back, two and a half millennia into the mists of time to find a parallel, in Cyrus the Great,” Ohana says, referring to an ancient Persian king who allowed the Jews to return from exile in Babylonia and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem.

“What the world needs now is not appeasers who feed the crocodile in the hope that they will be eaten last — like the kind we have seen recently at the UN General Assembly,” Ohana states, referring to recent declarations of recognition of a Palestinian state.

“What the world needs now are more leaders who are brave, resolute, strong, and bold. The world needs more Trumps,” he continues, declaring that “there was not a single person on this planet who did more than you to advance peace.”

Insisting that Trump, “more than any other individual,” is deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ohana says that he and House Speaker Mike Johnson “will rally speakers and presidents of parliaments from around the world to submit your candidacy” for 2026.

“America first but not America alone,” he says.

Switching to Hebrew, Ohana praises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing White House special envoy Witkoff, who recently praised Netanyahu for making “very difficult decisions” and said that “we wouldn’t have reached this point if Prime Minister Netanyahu hadn’t acted the way he did.”

Ohana’s address is followed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will then hand the rostrum to opposition leader Yair Lapid before Trump addresses the plenum.

Trump was initially scheduled to leave Israel 30 minutes ago to travel to Egypt, where world leaders are already convening for a peace summit.

Israeli-American among three awarded economics Nobel

A screen shows (L-R) American-Israeli Joel Mokyr, France's Philippe Aghion and Canada's Peter Howitt during the announcement of the winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 13, 2025 (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP) / ALTERNATIVE CROP

Israeli-American economist Joel Mokyr is named as one of a trio of researchers awarded the Nobel prize in economics for “having explained innovation-driven economic growth.”

Mokyr, from Northwestern University, wins alongside Philippe Aghion from the College de France and the London School of Economics, and Peter Howitt from Brown University.

Born in The Netherlands, Mokyr was raised in Haifa and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Jerusalem before moving to the US to continue his academic pursuits.

The Nobel committee says he “demonstrated that if innovations are to succeed one another in a self-generating process, we not only need to know that something works, but we also need to have scientific explanations for why.”

Aghion and Howitt also studied the mechanisms behind sustained growth, including in a 1992 article in which they constructed a mathematical model for what is called creative destruction: When a new and better product enters the market, the companies selling the older products lose out.

“The laureates’ work shows that economic growth cannot be taken for granted. We must uphold the mechanisms that underlie creative destruction, so that we do not fall back into stagnation,” says the chair of the committee for the prize in economic sciences.

Netanyahu declines invite to peace summit in Egypt because of tonight’s Simchat Torah holiday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and his wife Sara exit the official Wing of Zion plane in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom / GPO)

After reports that he would fly to Sharm El-Sheikh to participate in the peace summit with world leaders there today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says that he will not be making the trip because of the Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah holiday that begins tonight.

Israeli leaders historically avoid travel on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays, except under extraordinary circumstances.

Netanyahu thanks US President Donald Trump for the invitation, and for his “efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength,” says the PMO.

Netanyahu does not mention Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, who invited him by telephone today. Initially, Netanyahu was said to have accepted the invitation.

Israel’s Kan TV says Netanyahu canceled because of ostensible concerns over strife within his coalition if he traveled on a Jewish festival, but that the ultra-Orthodox United Judaism party is saying it made no threats in that regard.

Helicopter carrying released hostage loops over Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square

A military helicopter carrying a released hostage loops over Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square en route to Ichilov Hospital, just around the corner, as the crowd cheers. It’s not immediately clear which hostage is aboard.

The emcee tells the crowd to expect more choppers carrying released hostages as Matan Angrest, Matan Zangauker, Nimrod Cohen, Eitan Horn and Omri Miran are expected to arrive at Ichilov as well.

Knesset hails Trump with 2.5-minute ovation

US President Donald Trump (L) reacts as he receives a standing ovation before speaking at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump is welcomed by lawmakers in the Knesset plenum with a two and a half minute-long standing ovation.

As he stands at the rostrum, members of the Knesset guard play trumpets and the American leader joins in the clapping.

Lawmakers and members of the audience also applaud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with some chanting his nickname Bibi.

Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Ambassador Mike Huckabee, and other senior officials also receive ovations as Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana singles them out one by one during a lengthy introduction ahead of Trump’s address.

Yair Lapid: ‘Tears fill my eyes; finally, air fills our lungs. Our children are coming home’

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on July 28, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Opposition leader and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid writes with emotion about his relief at seeing the return of the Israeli hostages today under the US-brokered ceasefire deal.

“Tears fill my eyes; finally, air fills our lungs. Our children are coming home,” he writes in a post on X.

Lapid adds in a separate post that he sends “strength to the bereaved families, to the IDF wounded, to those who paid the highest price of all.”

With Trump’s approval, Witkoff and Kushner met directly with Hamas leaders in Egypt to seal Gaza deal last week — report

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff (R) and Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to US President Donald Trump, arrive for a joint news conference between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room at the White House on September 29, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP)

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met directly with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Khaya and other Hamas leaders at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday night to seal the hostage release and ceasefire deal, Channel 12’s Barak Ravid reports.

The Qatari delegation urged the senior US officials to meet the terror leader in order to break a logjam in the talks, according to the report.

Ravid writes on Axios that, according to one source, Hamas leaders feared Israel would resume the war once the hostages were freed, and needed direct assurances that, provided Hamas kept to the deal, Trump wouldn’t let that happen.

Trump, says Axios, “had privately granted permission for Witkoff and Kushner to meet Hamas leaders if necessary to seal a deal” when he spoke with his envoys in the Oval Office ahead of their departure for Egypt.

Witkoff told Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators about Trump’s okay, and the meeting went ahead, when the talks hit a deadlock, at around 11 p.m.

In the hotel room “were the Egyptian and Turkish intelligence chiefs, senior Qatari officials, and the four most senior Hamas leaders involved in the negotiations,” Ravid writes. “The Hamas team was led by Khalil al-Hayya, who had survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha three weeks earlier.”

During 45 minutes of talks, Witkoff contended to the Hamas representatives that the hostages were now “more of a liability than an asset for you,” and that it was time to implement the first phase of Trump’s peace for Gaza plan and “bring people home on both sides of the border.”

“President Trump’s message is that you will be treated fairly and that he stands behind all 20 points of his peace plan, and will make sure they are all implemented,” Witkoff reportedly said.

The Hamas leaders then conferred in a separate room with the Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators. Soon after, Egypt’s intel chief Hassan Rashad returned to tell Witkoff and Kushner: “Based on the meeting we just had, we have a deal.”

Trump would soon after announce that the deal on the first phase was done.

Israeli negotiator Nitzan Alon (far left) shakes hands with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in a photo indicating success in the mediated Israel-Hamas negotiations on a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the early hours of October 9, 2025. Second from right with back to camera is US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. (Telegram / used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

US hostage envoy Adam Boehler sparked Israeli anger during earlier talks when he met directly with Hamas officials.

Trump to hail ‘historic dawn of a new Middle East’ in Knesset speech

US President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

In his impending speech to the Knesset, US President Donald Trump will say that “this is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” and will tell Iran that it can join the circle of peace, according to excerpts sent to the press.

“It is an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations working together as partners in peace,” Trump will say. “Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change.”

Trump will tell the plenum that “the cruelty of October 7 struck to the core of humanity itself.”

“To all the families whose lives were forever changed by the atrocities of that day, and to all the people of Israel, please know that America joins you in those two everlasting vows—NEVER FORGET, and NEVER AGAIN,” Trump will stress, according to the excerpts shared with the White House pool.

Israel has won all that it can by military force, he will tell his hosts.

“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,” Trump will say before heading to Egypt for his peace summit, to be joined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Together, we have shown that peace is not just a hope we can dream about, it is a reality we can build upon,” Trump will say.

He will also tell the world that “decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism, jihadism and anti-Semitism have not worked—they have backfired completely and totally. From Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering, and failure.”

He will tell Gazans that their focus must be on “restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development, so they can finally have the better life their children deserve.”

He will tell Iran that “the hand of friendship and cooperation is always open.”

“Those who seek to destroy this nation are doomed to bitter failure,” Trump will say, adding that “Israel is strong — and it will live and thrive forever.”

He will focus on the US-Israel alliance as well.

“From the very first day that modern Israel was founded, we have stood together through trial and setback, through victory and defeat, through glory and heartache…We have built industries together, we have made discoveries together, we have confronted evil together, we have waged war together, and perhaps most beautifully of all, we have made peace together. And this week, against all odds, we have done the IMPOSSIBLE, and brought our hostages home,” he will say.

Lawmakers give Ivanka Trump an ovation as she enters the Knesset

Ivanka Trump arrives and is greeted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, right, at the Knesset, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem, before US President Donald Trump arrives to speak. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)

Lawmakers applaud Ivanka Trump as she enters the Knesset visitor’s gallery ahead of a speech by her father, US President Donald Trump. Also in attendance are pro-Trump megadonor Miriam Adelson, who is Israeli-American, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Ivanka Trump receives an ovation as she enters the Knesset visitors gallery pic.twitter.com/lZjYVOdhdC

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) October 13, 2025

Israel says it has freed all 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 lifetermers, as part of still-unfinished hostage deal

All Palestinian prisoners to be freed under the US-backed hostage deal have been released from Israeli prisons, an IDF spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

The prisoners include 250 terror convicts serving one or more life sentences, as well as 1,718 Gazan detainees arrested over the course of the war.

Israel had initially said it would wait until all hostages had been released, but instead decided to free the prisoners after all 20 living hostages were freed this morning but before Hamas handed over the bodies of 28 hostages believed to be dead.

Palestinian media outlets publish footage showing the arrival of prisoners released in the hostage deal and permitted to return to the West Bank arriving in Ramallah. Palestinian Authority security forces can be seen moving people away from the area to allow buses to pass.

عاجل| الأسرى المحررون بصفقة التبادل يصلون رام الله الآن. pic.twitter.com/6Fpr1Se1hH

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) October 13, 2025

Some of the 250 security prisoners released will be deported abroad or sent back to Gaza, as they are originally from the Strip. According to Palestinian reports, 88 prisoners are being released to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

WATCH: US President Trump speaks in Knesset; session opens with huge applause for president, Netanyahu, Dermer, Witkoff, Kushner

US President Trump is about to speak in the Knesset.

He is greeted with tremendous applause, cheers and a standing ovation.

There are cheers and applause, and a partial standing ovation, too, when Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana introduces Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. Trump also stands and applauds.

Ron Dermer, the Strategic Affairs Minister, who led the Israeli delegation that finalized the “first phase” of Trump’s Gaza plan, leading to today’s release of hostages, is also very warmly received, as are members of Trump’s delegation, notably including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are cheered.

‘We are waiting for you at the soccer field,’ Israeli teams welcome back their fans from Gaza captivity

Freed hostages Ziv (L) and Gali Berman, who were released from Hamas captivity, wear shirts of their beloved Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team. (Social media/used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Israeli soccer teams Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa welcome back their fans who were held hostage in Gaza, along with all of the 20 captives released today.

“Dear Omri, Gali and Ziv, we are so excited that you are coming back to us, we have missed you so much,” a representative of Maccabi Tel Aviv says in a video featuring the team’s players on its Facebook page. “We are waiting for you at the soccer field.”

Brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, as well as Omri Miran, are known to be fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The brothers are seen wearing blue-and-yellow jerseys in a picture taken on the IDF van just after their release, which was shared by the team.

Maccabi Tel Aviv also prepared a welcoming message for the released hostages and displayed it on the pitch of their Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, which the Bermans and Miran will be able to see as they fly overhead in a helicopter on the way to the hospital.

Maccabi Haifa also shares a message welcoming home Matan Angrest and Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Friends of Angrest have been celebrating his return, sporting the jerseys and waving the green banners and scarves of the soccer team.

Friends and supporters of Matan Angrest celebrate his release by Hamas with green flares for his beloved Maccabi Haifa soccer team on October 13, 2025 (Screen grab/Channel 12)

Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Omri Miran en route to hospital, IDF says

This combination of handout pictures released by the Israeli army shows released hostages (L to R, top to bottom) Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, Gali Berman, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal (IDF / AFP)

Released hostages Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, and Omri Miran, along with their families, are being taken in Israeli Air Force helicopters from the Re’im base in southern Israel to a hospital in central Israel, the military says.

The hostages are set to meet more family members at the hospital and undergo rehabilitation after over two years in Hamas captivity.

Trump will visit hospital where several of today’s hostages are being treated, source confirms

US President Donald Trump will indeed visit Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan after his Knesset speech, a source familiar with the preparations tells The Times of Israel.

Ten of today’s released hostages will be treated there.

Hostages fly to hospitals as second batch arrives at Re’im for checkups, reunification

A helicopter carrying freed hostages takes off from Re'im to a hospital in central Israel on October 13, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

Despite serious fears over their health after two years in captivity, none of the 20 living hostages released today need to be rushed to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheba and will instead make their way to hospitals in central Israel.

The military says released hostages Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, and Omri Miran, along with their families, are being taken in Israeli Air Force helicopters from the Re’im base in southern Israel to a hospital in central Israel, joining Eitan Mor and brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, who helicoptered to another hospital minutes earlier.

The hostages are set to meet more family members at the hospital and undergo rehabilitation after over two years in Hamas captivity.

Meanwhile, the final 13 hostages are arriving at Re’im to undergo an initial physical and mental checkup and meet family members.

Released hostages Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, and Ariel Cunio have arrived at the IDF facility near the border community after being escorted out of the Gaza Strip by troops, the military says.

Nvidia CEO: Employee Avinatan Or’s ‘safe return brings relief and joy’ to tech giant

Avinatan Or, a Nvidia employee, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Supernova desert rave (Courtesy)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sends an emotional message to all company employees, letting them know that Avinatan Or — an Israeli employee of the tech giant who was held hostage in Gaza for more than two years — has been freed.

“I am profoundly moved and deeply grateful to share that, just moments ago, our colleague, Avinatan Or, was released to the Red Cross in Gaza,” Huang writes. “After two unimaginable years in Hamas captivity, Avinatan has come home.”

Huang pays tribute to Or’s mother, Ditza, writing that her “strength, courage, and unwavering hope have inspired us all.”

He notes that Nvidia employees in Israel “stood with her in vigil, united in determination that Avinatan would return home safely. That unity reflected the very best of who we are.”

Huang also mentions the toll the war has taken on the company’s workforce in Israel and beyond. “Thousands of NVIDIA employees have served with extraordinary bravery in defense of their communities during the war,” he writes. “Many have faced immense pain, loss, and uncertainty. Some have lost family members or loved ones.”

He cites personal losses within the company: “We lost our colleague, Amit Chayut. Eyal suffered the heartbreaking loss of his daughter, Danielle, and her partner, Noam. We remember them with love, and we hold Eyal and his family close in our thoughts and prayers.”

“The losses to our Jewish, Druze, and Arab families alike have been immense,” Huang continues. “Grief knows no borders, no faiths, no divisions. We mourn together, and we hope together — for peace, understanding, and a future without fear.”

Huang writes that he hopes the current ceasefire deal marks a turning point for the region. “As all hostages return to their families, we witness the close of a painful chapter and the beginning of long-awaited healing for the region,” he writes.

“Avinatan — welcome home,” Huang concludes. “Your safe return brings profound relief and joy to the entire NVIDIA family. May this moment mark the first step toward recovery, renewal, and lasting peace — for all who have been touched by this war.”

Trump, Netanyahu meet families, survivors in Knesset

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump meet with hostage families and survivors of captivity in the Knesset on October 13, 2025 (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump meet with hostage families and former captives in the Knesset.

An image of the meeting shows Trump leaning forward as he listens to a participant speak into a microphone.

After 738-day nightmare, all living hostages back in Israel

Released hostage Omri Miran reunites with his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi after over two years in Hamas captivity, at the Re'im base on October 13, 2025 (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostages Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, and his brother Ariel Cunio have crossed the border into Israel after 738 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The 13 were escorted out of the Gaza Strip by Israeli special forces after being handed over to them by the Red Cross.

The IDF is bringing them to a facility near the border for an initial physical and mental checkup, and to meet with family members.

There are now no known living hostages kidnapped from Israel remaining in Gaza, though the bodies of 28 others are thought to still be there.

Gantz calls release of hostages from Gaza ‘true victory’

Benny Gantz speaks during press conference in Tel Aviv on August 23, 2025. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Blue and White party chair Benny Gantz calls the release of hostages from Gaza today as part of the US-brokered ceasefire a “true victory,” crediting first and foremost “the fighters.”

“This is the victory of the bereaved families whose sacrifices were not in vain, of the wounded…of those who went out every day, giving the families of hostages a home, a hug, and support,” the centrist opposition MK says, adding that it is also a victory of “the inseparable alliance between Israel and the United States.”

However, he cautions that “the campaign is not over,” noting that Israel still has fallen hostages to bring home whose bodies are set to be returned following the release of the 20 living hostages.

Tel Aviv-area hospital says it’s been told to prepare for Trump visit to freed hostages

Released hostages Eitan Mor and brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, along with their families, are being taken in an Israeli Air Force helicopter from the Re’im base in southern Israel to a hospital in central Israel, the military says.

The destination appears to be Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv. A Sheba spokesperson says the hospital has “been asked to prepare for a possible visit of President Trump to see the Berman family.”

Helicopters with the hostages are on the way to the hospital, the spokesperson confirms.

Israel begins release of terror convicts, though bodies of hostages remain in Gaza

Buses carrying freed Palestinian security prisoners have begun leaving Ofer Prison, after the last of the living hostages are transferred to the IDF.

After reports that the prisoners would only be released once bodies of slain hostages are handed over by Hamas, an IDF spokeswoman tells The Times of Israel that it was decided the prisoners will go free following the living hostages’ return.

🔴Hamas'ın yaşayan tüm İsrailli rehineleri bırakmasının ardından İsrail hapishanelerindeki yaklaşık 2 bin Filistinli esirin özgür bırakılma süreci başladı

🔴İsrail'in Ofer Cezaevi'den Ramallah'ın Beytuna mahallesine, Nakab Cezaevi'nden de Gazze'ye doğru otobüsler yola çıktı pic.twitter.com/fxZFRz7umz

— The Cradle Turkiye (@cradleturkiye) October 13, 2025

A total of 250 terror convicts serving life terms are being freed today as part of the US-backed hostage deal, including 135 who will be deported abroad and 14 returning to their homes in East Jerusalem.

The rest are on buses headed to Ramallah, via Beitunia checkpoint.

Explosions can be heard from across the West Bank security barrier as IDF troops fire tear gas to disperse Palestinians gathered at the checkpoint.

Meanwhile, 1,718 Gazan detainees are being released back into the Strip from southern Israel’s Ketziot Prison, according to Palestinian sources.

The bodies of most of the additional 28 hostages are expected to be transferred to Israel later today.

Indonesia’s president will arrive in Israel tomorrow — source

Indonesia's president Prabowo Subianto puts his hands together as he finishes his address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly with the word 'shalom,' September 23, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto will arrive tomorrow in Israel, marking the first visit of a head of state from Jakarta to the country, according to a source familiar with the details.

Subianto referred to Israel in surprisingly warm terms during his UN speech in September, ending his address with the word “Shalom.”

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Hostage father, who opposed earlier deals, expresses thanks over son’s return

Released hostage Eitan Mor is seen reuniting with his parents at the IDF's Re'im base on October 13, 2025.(Courtesy)

The family of released hostage Eitan Mor offers gratitude to God, the IDF, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and others involved in the hostage release following their reunification with him after two years in Hamas captivity.

“In praise and thanksgiving to God, we are happy to announce that our Eitan is home!” the parents write on social media, along with a photo of them hugging their son. “Our beloved Eitan, how much we have waited for you, how much we have waited to finally see you after two years. We saw you for the last time today, on [the final day of the Sukkot holiday] two years ago, and today we embrace you back into the family.”

*הודעה ממשפחתו של איתן מור ששוחרר כעת אחרי שנתיים במרתפי החמאס:*

"זה היום עשה השם נגילה ונשמחה בו" (תהלים קיח, כד).

בשבח והודיה להקב"ה אנו שמחים להודיע שאיתן שלנו בבית!

איתן אהוב שלנו כמה חיכינו לך, כמה חיכינו לראות אותך סוף סוף אחרי שנתיים. 
ראינו אותך בפעם האחרונה היום,… pic.twitter.com/IgS5Spmgjv

— פורום תקווה (@forum_tikva) October 13, 2025

Mor’s father, Zvika, has led the Tikva Forum, a small group of hostage families who have opposed hostage deals that would secure the release of only some of the hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners and temporary ceasefires in Gaza. He has said he was unhappy about the price Israel had to pay to get the hostages back in the current deal, and had claimed his son shared his view.

However, upon seeing his son alive, he expressed nothing but gratitude.

“This is the day the Lord has made known to us, and we will rejoice in it,” he writes on social media, quoting a Psalm said during Sukkot prayers.

Left-wing leader Yair Golan praises hostage release: ‘A victory of the people’

Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan at a faction meeting at the Knesset on July 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, celebrates the return of the hostages, saying, “The government abandoned them — the people brought them back.”

“This morning, after two long years of anxiety, pain, and hope, Matan will hug Einav, Eitan will hug Itzik, Gali and Ziv will hug Liran, and sixteen more hostages will finally return home,” he says, referring to hostages Matan Zangauker, Eitan Horn and Gali and Ziv Berman, released today as part of the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

The opposition lawmaker praises the persistence of rank-and-file Israelis, saying, “Their return is a victory of the people I am proud to be part of: a people who never stopped taking to the streets, fighting, pressuring, hoping, and believing.”

“We will still replace those who abandoned them. We will fix what was broken,” he adds, referring to unseating the government.  Regarding the need to return slain hostages, he emphasizes that while today is a day for celebration and emotion, “we will continue the struggle until everyone returns.”

Freed hostage Omri Miran speaks with his young daughters for first time in two years

Released hostage Omri Miran (C) reunites with his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi (R) and father Dani (L) and speaks to his two young daughters after over two years in Hamas captivity at the Re'im base on October 13, 2025. (Courtesy)

Omri Miran, who was released from Hamas captivity this morning, speaks with his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, on a tablet while at the Re’im base, as he sits with his father Dani and his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, after two years of captivity, in a picture released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

The girls are waiting for their father with other family members at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

According to a Channel 12 report, Lavi told his wife that he would soon find out how Alma, who was only six months old when he was taken hostage, had learned how to say “Abba” (“Daddy” in Hebrew).

In call apparently brokered by Trump, Netanyahu accepts invite from Sissi to join today’s summit in Egypt

Left: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, January 7, 2024; Right: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Paris, June 23, 2023 (Ronen Zvulun/Pool via AP; AP Photo/Lewis Joly, Pool, File)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just spoken by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sissi, as US President Donald Trump listens in, Channel 12 news reports. In the call, apparently brokered by Trump at the Knesset, Netanyahu accepted an invitation by the Egyptian leader to join the international summit on Trump’s Gaza peace plan in Sharm El-Sheikh today, according to the report.

Sissi has avoided speaking to Netanyahu throughout the war, and did not initially invite the prime minister to today’s summit.

US President Donald Trump (L) meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset on Jerusalem on October 13, 2025 (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also be among the 30 world leaders at the summit, along with the leaders of Qatar and Indonesia.

Netanyahu has refused to endorse a role for the PA in post-war Gaza, while Trump has not ruled it out.

Channel 12 also says, without citing a source, that preparations are underway for a possible visit to Israel tomorrow by Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto.

The Egyptian presidency confirms that Netanyahu will take part in the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The statement also mentioned the participation of Abbas. According to the announcement, their attendance is intended to “reaffirm commitment to the Gaza ceasefire agreement.”

IDF chief meets with US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump’s visit to Israel

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, at the Knesset, October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met today with his American counterpart, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, on the sidelines of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Knesset.

“The two discussed regional developments and the close cooperation between the armies, and agreed to meet again soon,” the Israeli military says.

Prime Minister’s Office confirms to families that final 13 living hostages are in IDF hands

The families of the final 13 living hostages to be released from captivity in Gaza have all been told that they are in the hands of IDF forces in the Strip and will soon head to Israel, says the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

“The Government of Israel is committed to the return of all hostages held by the enemy and will pursue this mission with determination and persistence,” says the PMO, reiterating an earlier statement that the government “embraces our hostages returning home.”

Jon and Rachel Goldberg Polin, parents of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, wish ‘love and strength to us all’ upon captives’ release

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, parents of slain hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, send a message of thanks for the released hostages on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy)

Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, the parents of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, express relief and joy in a social media post at the release of 20 living hostages to Israel.

The couple read Psalm 126, Polin in Hebrew and Goldberg-Polin in English:

“A song of ascents, when God returns the captives of Zion we will be like dreamers.
The nations will say, God has done goodness for them,
Return our captives, God, like water to the desert.”

The festive psalm is recited at the beginning of Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals, on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

Goldberg-Polin says she wishes “love and strength to us all, to all of the families, of all of the hostages and all of the nation who has fought so hard for this day.”

Hostages Square crowd cheers release of last 13 hostages

Thousands gather at Hostage Square to celebrate the return of the hostages, October 13, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The crowd of tens of thousands gathered at Hostages Square roars as the MC announces that the remaining 13 living hostages are in Israeli hands.

“Thank you to all the fighters who’ve fought the Swords of Iron war over the past two years, all the wounded who’ve paid a heavy price, all the widows, all the reservists — thank you, thank you,” she says.

The crowd is dotted with Israeli and some US flags.

In the background, upbeat Hebrew music plays, and people dance on stage. Some in the audience chant “Am Israeli Chai” (the nation of Israel lives).

Trump may stop at hospital where freed hostages headed

There are attempts by US President Donald Trump’s team to arrange a visit to one of the hospitals that will receive the Israeli hostages, an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.

If it happens, it will likely be at the Sheba Medical Center, says the source.

Sheba will treat 10 freed hostages.

Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv will treat 5, as will the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, according to an Israeli official.

It is unclear when the hostages will arrive at the hospitals. Trump is scheduled to leave Israel at 1 p.m. for a peace summit in Egypt he is hosting, but he is running well behind schedule.

Far-right minister warns Trump not to accept ‘fake peace,’ urges dismantling of Hamas

Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock attends a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on March 18, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock urges US President Donald Trump to ensure the demilitarization and dismantling of Hamas in Gaza, writing directly to the president in a series of long social media posts as Trump arrives at the Knesset amid the ongoing release of the 20 living Israeli hostages under the ceasefire deal that he brokered.

“It’s important that you remain committed to the key principles of demilitarizing Gaza, removing all threats from it toward Israel, and fully dismantling Hamas’ rule there,” she says in the posts on X to the president, whom she praises as a “true friend of Israel.”

“Don’t be tempted to believe that soldiers fought and paid with their lives only for the return of the hostages,” writes the far-right Religious Zionism lawmaker, who voted against the ceasefire and hostage-release deal alongside party leader and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

“You, who taught the entire world the concept of ‘fake,’ surely do not want to be associated with a ‘fake victory’ or a ‘fake peace,'” she continues.

13 Israeli hostages transferred to IDF, are returning to Israel after two years in captivity

The second set of hostages set to be freed on October 13, 2025: First row, from left: Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana; Second row, from left: Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn; 3rd row, from left: Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Segev Kalfon (Courtesy)

Thirteen Israeli hostages released by Hamas are now in the hands of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

Hamas handed over the 13 — named as Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, and Ariel Cunio — to the Red Cross in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The hostages will be escorted out of the Strip by Israeli special forces to an army facility near the border community of Re’im for an initial checkup and to meet their families.

Earlier, seven hostages were freed from Gaza City. Now that those 20 have been released, Hamas is no longer holding any living hostages for the first time since its October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.

Later today, Hamas is set to start returning the remains of the 28 dead hostages it is still holding.

‘Phone your mother too,’ family tells Maxim Herkin in call before release

Hostage Maxim Herkin is seen talking to his family from Gaza, flanked by a masked Hamas fighter, in footage from some time before his release shared by Channel 12.

Family members tell him he should also call his mother, who is not in the same room.

“We will call her, she did not answer,” Herkin is heard responding, apparently referring to him and the Hamas man with him.

Herkin tells family members that Bar Kupershtein cannot come to the telephone because “they already took him to the car,” possibly referring to the Red Cross cars.

He also says that Segev Kalfon is “good.” “Everything is okay with him.”

Several hostages have made video calls to their families while still in the hands of their captors today.

In many cases, masked terrorists could be clearly seen in the frame standing behind them, suggesting that the hostages could still not speak freely.

VIDEO: Red Cross vehicles leave meeting point in southern Gaza en route to transfer hostages to IDF

Vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrive in the south of Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip to receive the second batch of hostages expected to be released, on October 13, 2025. (Bashar TALEB / AFP)

The Arabic-language Al-Araby channel publishes footage showing Red Cross vehicles departing from the hostage transfer point in southern Gaza, on their way to rendezvous with IDF forces. A total of 13 hostages were transferred to the Red Cross in the south of the Strip, meaning that all 20 living hostages in Gaza have now left Hamas captivity.

רכבי הצלב האדום עוזבים את נקודת המסירה של החטופים בדרום הרצועה לאחר ההעברה. 13 חטופים בפעימה הזו, בסך הכול 20 חטופים חיים שוחררו מידי חמאס https://t.co/y6eFJRzSzb pic.twitter.com/Fbu7wiqn6P

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 13, 2025

Netanyahu meeting Trump in Knesset ahead of speech

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with US President Donald Trump in his office in the Knesset, according to the premier’s office.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has also been involved in Middle East negotiations, are also in the meeting, which is taking place ahead of Trump’s speech to the Knesset.

Kiryat Arba celebrates release of local resident Eitan Mor

Residents of the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba celebrate the release of hostage Eitan Mor, who is from the settlement. (Courtesy)

Hundreds of residents of the Kiryat Arba settlement in the West Bank attend a celebration for the return of hostage Eitan Mor, who grew up in the settlement.

Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Abraham Yitzhak Schwartz says the “Shehechiyanu” prayer for renewal amid emotional scenes playing out upon news that Mor has been returned from captivity.

In Jerusalem, small crowd celebrates hostages’ release outside PM’s residence

A crowd gathers at the hostage families' protest tent on Balfour Street in Jerusalem to watch the release of hostages from Gaza, October 13, 2025. (Zev Stub/Times of Israel)

In Jerusalem, at the protest tent outside the official Prime Minister’s Residence on Balfour Street, a crowd of about 200 erupts into cheers after hostages released from Gaza are seen for the first time.

A large TV screen broadcasting the hostage release is set up inside a tent where countless protests have been held over the past two years. Outside the immediate area, Azza Street is quiet, even after serving as the epicenter of the city’s protests throughout that period. Many pedestrians are seen walking back from morning prayers on the last day of the Sukkot holiday.

Not everyone in the crowd is overjoyed by the hostage release, however.

“I feel very good today, but it’s not enough that all the hostages come back,” says Yosef Avi Yair Engel, whose grandson, Ofir Engel, spent 54 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza. “We are still waiting for the body of Yossi Sharabi, the father of my grandson’s girlfriend. Until the bodies of all the dead hostages come back, I cannot be too happy.”

Several meters away, a clown juggles and hands out stickers to passersby. “After two years of struggle, for the end of the war, I had to come out to add to the happiness of all the beating hearts out here,” says the clown, who goes by the name Policewoman Then-Maybe and has been a fixture at protests wearing her old-fashioned police uniform and red nose. “I follow my heart, and it’s good to be with people who are smiling, after everything we’ve gone through.”

A clown known as Policewoman Then-Maybe performs at the hostage families’ protest tent on Balfour Street in Jerusalem to celebrate the release of hostages from Gaza, October 13, 2025. (Zev Stub/Times of Israel)

Red Cross confirms it collected 13 hostages ‘in ok condition,’ en route to IDF handover

The second set of hostages set to be freed on October 13, 2025: First row, from left: Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana; Second row, from left: Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn; 3rd row, from left: Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Segev Kalfon (Courtesy)

A Red Cross official tells The Times of Israel the group has 13 hostages released from Hamas captivity “in ok condition.”

“On our way to the IDF,” the senior official says.

The IDF says the Red Cross notified the military that it collected the 13 hostages from Hamas in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis a short while ago.

The 13 have been named as Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, and Ariel Cunio.

The Red Cross is now bringing the hostages to IDF troops inside Gaza. They will then be escorted out of the Strip to an army facility near Re’im, where they will undergo an initial physical and mental checkup and meet their families.

The senior Red Cross official says the 13 will be handed to the IDF following an approximately 15-minute ride.

“We are moving,” the official says.

Hamas is now no longer holding any living hostages, for the first time since 2014.

Later, Hamas is set to return the remains of the 28 dead hostages. The terror group has told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located, which may delay their return to Israel.

Starmer in Egypt: Today is ‘first crucial phase’ in ending war, UK will ‘lead efforts’ to advance Gaza reconstruction

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (third from right) is greeted by UK Ambassador to Egypt Mark Bryson-Richardson in Egypt's Red Sea resort town of Sharm Al-Sheikh on October 12, 2025, ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war (Suzanne Plunkett / POOL / AFP)

Amid the release of the 20 living hostages from Gaza under the first phase of the US-backed plan to end the war, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declares in a post on X that “Today is the first, crucial phase in ending the war in the Middle East.”

Speaking from Egypt ahead of today’s international summit in Egypt to advance US President Donald Trump’s framework, Starmer adds: “Now we must deliver lasting peace and a secure future for the whole region. The [United Kingdom] is providing additional humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, and we will lead efforts to accelerate its reconstruction.”

Today is the first, crucial phase in ending the war in the Middle East.

Now we must deliver lasting peace and a secure future for the whole region.

The UK is providing additional humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, and we will lead efforts to accelerate its reconstruction.

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 13, 2025

Crowd at freed hostage Alon Ohel’s home takes down banner calling for his release

Taking down the 'Bring Alon Ohel home' banner in his hometown on October 13, 2025. (Courtesy)

Friends and family of released hostage Alon Ohel remove the banner at the entrance of his Galilee hometown reading, “Bring Alon Ohel Home,” remarking that they have been waiting for two years to take it down.

“He is coming home!” calls the crowd, waving flags.

‘A whole new beginning’: Trump, arriving at the Knesset, says the war is over, Hamas will comply with deal; ‘so happy’ for the freed hostages

US President Donald Trump (L), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and Knesset Speak Amir Ohana at the Knesset on October 13, 2025 (Screen grab)

Speaking to journalists at the Knesset, US President Donald Trump responds “yes” to a question on whether the war in Gaza has ended.

“This is a great day,” he says, standing alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This is a whole new beginning, and I think there’s never been an event like it.”

“The love in the streets has just been incredible,” Trump says. “It’s just been a great day.”

Asked about what will happen to Hamas if it doesn’t comply with the ceasefire, he responds, “They’ll comply.”

“We’re so happy for them,” he says of the hostages. “They’re going to be happy and they’re going to have a great life.”

“They’ve been very brave,” he adds.

Witkoff: ‘Deeply gratifying’ to see hostages return to Israel, ‘heart aches’ for deceased captives

US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (C) speaks as Jared Kushner (L) and his wife Ivanka Trump look on, during a gathering at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. October 11, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

After greeting US President Donald Trump upon his arrival in Israel, US special envoy Steve Witkoff writes on X that it is “deeply gratifying” to see the 20 living hostages returning home to their families, while stressing that it “is a must” for the 28 bodies of the remaining deceased hostages to be returned.

I wondered if I would ever see this day. It’s deeply gratifying to know that so many families will finally have their loved ones home. Today, twenty families are spared the unbearable pain of not knowing if they will ever see their loved ones again. But even in this moment of…

— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) October 13, 2025

“It’s deeply gratifying to know that so many families will finally have their loved ones home,” writes the envoy who spearheaded the Trump administration’s efforts to return the hostages and end the Gaza war, including brokering negotiations.

“But even in this moment of relief and happiness, my heart aches for those whose loved ones will not return alive. Bringing their bodies home is a must and an act of dignity and honors their memory forever,” he adds, noting that he “can’t help but feel the presence [of his late son] Andrew at this moment.” He has frequently referenced his late son while speaking about the hostages.

“I am profoundly grateful for the indomitable spirit of President Trump. This day would not have been possible without him,” Witkoff adds.

In May, after helping secure the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, Witkoff gifted him with a Star of David pendant that had belonged to Andrew.

Witkoff spoke at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Saturday night, receiving a raucous welcome.

Trump in Knesset guestbook: ‘A great and beautiful day, a new beginning’

US President Donald Trump signs the guest book at the Knesset on October 13, 2025 (Screen grab)

US President Donald Trump has arrived in the Knesset, briefly greeting Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana before taking a seat to sign the Knesset guestbook.

“This is my great honor. A great and beautiful day, a new beginning,” he writes in a thick, black sharpie marker, flanked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife, and Ohana and his partner.

Trump then heads to the plenum to address the Knesset, becoming the fourth US president to do so, but first stops to talk to the press.

Report: Transfer of some deceased hostages’ bodies scheduled for this afternoon

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports that the bodies of some deceased hostages in Hamas captivity will be transferred to the Red Cross this afternoon.

The report does not indicate how many bodies will be transferred.

Twenty-eight bodies are believed to be held, although Israel has said that 26 hostages have been confirmed dead, and there are grave fears for the other two. Hamas has said it could face difficulties locating some of their bodies, and Israel is aware of this.

David Friedman: Hostage release ‘goes far beyond geopolitics and diplomacy’

Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks during a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Philadelphia, August 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

David Friedman, who formerly served as US President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel during his first term, welcomes the return of the hostages, declaring that the significance of their release “goes far beyond geopolitics and diplomacy.”

Speaking with The Times of Israel in the Knesset ahead of Trump’s speech, Friedman says that “everyone in the room and millions elsewhere have been praying” for the hostages’ freedom and “we’ve gotten to know them, even if we don’t know them.”

“We’ve gotten to know their names, gotten to know their lives, their stories, their families. The fact that after two years, they’re finally going to be free is just beyond words,” he states.

He recalls his first visit to the home of just-released hostage brothers Gali and Ziv Berman in Kibbutz Kfar Aza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, saying that “they lost two years of their lives. They’re coming home.”

Friedman says he is “deeply grateful” to the IDF for its soldiers’ “courage and bravery,” without which today’s release “never could have happened,” and praises both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his “dear friend and mentor, President Trump,” who “had a huge role to play here.”

Friedman notes that Hamas is on the streets of Gaza “slaughtering all the collaborators” and says that “it’s hard to see Hamas walking away.”

“I mean, they’re not acting like people that are planning to leave town and hand over their arms. But they have to, because if they don’t…” he trails off. “I’m hoping that the instincts of self-preservation will prevail.”

Friedman was influential as ambassador during Trump’s first term, playing a key role in the president’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as well as in a myriad of other pro-Israel moves.

WATCH: Trump arrives at the Knesset

US President Donald Trump has arrived at the Knesset.

He is set to meet with families of hostages and to deliver a speech shortly.

All 20 living hostages have been handed over by Hamas in Gaza this morning.

Smotrich films video at Western Wall celebrating hostage release

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posts a video celebrating the release of hostages at the Western Wall on October 13, 2025. (Screenshot)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the Religious Zionism party chair, posts a video celebrating the release of seven Israeli hostages from Gaza, despite having voted against the deal that secured their release.

“We receive them with joy, with open arms, and [give] thanks to the Master of the Universe,” he says.

In the video, filmed at the Western Wall, Smotrich speaks with emotion, describing coming out of Sukkot morning prayers and learning of the release of the first seven hostages.

“May the rest return today, with God’s help,” he says, referring to the 13 living hostages in the process of being released today, and the remaining deceased hostages whose bodies are meant to be subsequently returned.

Trump to Netanyahu: Today is your best day

US President Donald Trump greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

As they walked down the red carpet on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, US President Donald Trump said to President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “It’s a great day. Maybe your best day.”

“This is history,” responded Netanyahu, in new footage released by his office.

According to Israel’s Ambassador to Washington Yehiel Leiter, Trump told him at the airport, “You know your son is looking down at you with a smile, you know that, right?”

“My heart burst,” writes Leiter on X.

Leiter’s son, Major (Res.) Moshe Yedidia Leiter, was killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip in 2023.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee says that as he greeted Netanyahu on the tarmac, he congratulated the prime minister, saying “his unflinching leadership against so much opposition was key to end of war and hostage release.”

Former hostage Ohad Ben Ami to fellow freed captives: ‘All of the nation of Israel waited for you’

Former hostage Ohad Ben Ami sends a message to his fellow former captives as they are released on October 13, 2025. (Courtesy Hostages Forum)

Former hostage Ohad Ben Ami sends a message to his fellow former captives, Elkana Bohbot, Yosef-Haim Ohana, Bar Kuperstein, Segev Kalfon, and Maxim Herkin, as they are being released to return home to Israel.

“Elkana, Yosef, Bar, Segev, Maxim, my souls, I love you,” says Ben Ami. “Listen well, all of the nation of Israel waited for you, is waiting for you, you can’t imagine what was going on here. I will finally see you and hold you, we will do all the things we planned after you reunite with your families. You’ll recover, you’ll see, I regained all of my weight,” adds Ben Ami, who was released in February 2025 in an emaciated state.

“I love you, you’re so strong, you held on, I’m so proud of you, I love you, love you!” says Ben Ami.

Final 13 living hostages reportedly in Red Cross hands; no more living hostages now in Hamas captivity

The second set of hostages set to be freed on October 13, 2025: First row, from left: Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Haim Ohana; Second row, from left: Nimrod Cohen, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn; 3rd row, from left: Matan Zangauker, Bar Kupershtein, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Segev Kalfon (Courtesy)

The final 13 living hostages held by Hamas have been transferred to the Red Cross, Hebrew-language media report.

This means there are now no living hostages still help captive by Hamas.

There is no official word yet on the transfer from the Israel Defense Forces or the Red Cross.

Hamas had been set to hand over the 13 remaining living hostages from southern Gaza, having handed over the first seven earlier this morning.

The bodies of 28 other hostages remain in the terror group’s hands, with plans to transfer some of them to Israel later today.

Terror convicts set to be freed later today

A banner hung outside Ofer Prison in the West Bank ahead of the release of Palestinian prisoners that reads: "He who threatens a flood is drowned and wiped out," seen on October 13, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

Security forces at Ofer Prison in the West Bank are preparing to release the 250 Palestinian terror convicts set to go free later today as Hamas hands over the remaining living hostages and prepares to release the bodies of some of the dead hostages.

Posters hung up on outer walls of the detention facility read: “He who threatens a flood is drowned and wiped out,” referring to “the Al Aqsa Flood,” Hamas’s name for the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Alongside the security prisoners, another 1,718 Gazan detainees arrested over the course of the war will be released back to the Strip, from Ketziot Prison in southern Israel.

Most of the security prisoners currently at Ofer, all of them sentenced to at least one life term for deadly terror attacks, will be transported to the West Bank via the Beitunia checkpoint near Ramallah.

Seven prisoners from East Jerusalem will be escorted by police to their homes, Palestinian outlets report. Another seven East Jerusalemites will be deported abroad.

Families of the East Jerusalemite convicts were reportedly summoned this morning to police headquarters at the Russian Compound in the capital and warned against celebrating their relatives’ release.

Welcoming Trump’s visit to Israel, Herzog tells him, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’

Greeting US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion Airport alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a short time ago, President Isaac Herzog told the American leader “Blessed are the peacemakers,” according to Herzog’s office.

In a post on X cheering Trump’s visit, Herzog adds jubilantly: “The Israeli people welcome you with so much love and so much gratitude! Thank you for all you have done to bring our hostages home! Thank you for your commitment to building a better future of peace in our region! God bless Israel! God bless America!”

Herzog’s office announced earlier today that he would be awarding Trump Israel’s highest civilian honor.

Trump is now on his way to the Knesset with Netanyahu, where the two will hold a meeting and speak with families of the hostages before the president’s scheduled address to the legislative body.

Welcome to Israel, @POTUS @realDonaldTrump! 🇮🇱🇺🇸

The Israeli people welcome you with so much love and so much gratitude!

Thank you for all you have done to bring our hostages home! Thank you for your commitment to building a better future of peace in our region! God bless… pic.twitter.com/T4jAUI8Qx7

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 13, 2025

First photos published of freed hostages after reaching the hands of the IDF

Released hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal is seen meeting with an IDF officer in the Gaza Strip shortly after being freed from Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy)

Released hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal is seen meeting with an IDF officer in the Gaza Strip shortly after being freed from Hamas captivity.

Another photo shows brothers Gali and Ziv Berman embracing after being handed over to the IDF in the Gaza Strip.

Freed twins Ziv (L) and Gali Berman embrace in the Gaza Strip after they were freed from Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025. The pair were apparently separated while held in the Strip (Courtesy)

Gilboa-Dalal, the Berman brothers and four other hostages have since been escorted out of Gaza to an IDF facility near the border.

Knesset hands out MAGA-style caps for Trump speech

Knesset staff distribute red baseball caps patterned on US President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats, ahead of his upcoming speech in the Knesset plenum.

The Israeli caps, which are worn by many of those filling the Knesset visitor’s gallery, read “Trump the peace president.”

Knesset staff distribute red baseball caps patterned on the “Make America Great Again” caps worn by US President Donald Trump’s diehard supporters ahead of his upcoming speech in the Knesset plenum.

The caps bear the slogan “Trump the peace president.” pic.twitter.com/CfG2NFKwGI

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) October 13, 2025

WATCH: Hoshana Rabba prayers continue at Hostages Square as freed captives return to Israel

Hoshana Rabba prayers, with the traditional four species — palm frond, citron, myrtle and willow branches — in hand, continue to take place on the final day of Sukkot, at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, as the worshippers sing the Biblical verse, “And the sons shall return to their borders,” as the hostages make their way home.

Tonight marks the second anniversary, on the Hebrew calendar, of the October 7, 2023, attack in which the hostages were kidnapped, on the holiday of Simchat Torah.

Emotional footage emerges of families speaking with hostages ahead of their release

An image of hostage Yosef Haim Ohana in a video call while he still in Hamas captivity on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy)

Emotional footage continues to emerge showing Israeli families speaking with their loved ones while they are still in Hamas captivity — their first contact in nearly two years — as anticipation builds ahead of the captives’ expected release in the coming hours.

Avishai David, the father of hostage Evyatar David, tells Channel 12 that he and his family are waiting to “hug, smell, and breathe” their son upon his release, after speaking with him in a video call while he remains in Hamas captivity.

In a video, Avi Ohana, the father of hostage Yosef Haim Ohana, is seen speaking with his son, telling him that “everyone is waiting” for the hostages’ return.

“He looks good… I saw his smile — it reminded me of his smile from two years ago,” Avi tells Channel 12 after the call.

In an emotional clip, Tami Braslavski, the mother of hostage Rom Braslavski, is seen telling her son she loves him and is waiting for his return.

“We saw Rom and were so excited to see him… We’ve been waiting for so long,” Tami tells Channel 12. “He told me, ‘Mom, don’t worry — what will happen will happen.'”

Other families also reported receiving calls from loved ones still in captivity, including Bar Kuperstein, Elkana Bohbot, Nimrod Cohen, brothers David and Ariel Cunio, and Matan Zangauker — all of whom have been released or are slated to be released shortly.

Some families of hostages still believed to be alive in Hamas captivity said they have not yet received calls, though additional phone contact may continue throughout the morning.

Pictures show ex-hostages Alon Ohel, Gali Berman in IDF hands

Freed hostage Alon Ohel meeting with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy)

Photos show released hostage Alon Ohel meeting with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip after being freed from Hamas captivity this morning.

Ohel and six other hostages have since been escorted out of Gaza to an IDF facility near the border.

Freed hostage Alon Ohel meeting with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy)

Another picture shows Gali Berman with a soldier.

Freed hostage Gali Berman is seen in Gaza after being freed by terrorists on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy)

The photos were apparently taken inside Gaza.

MK Ayman Odeh, upon hostage release, says ‘joy is mixed with pain’

MK Ayman Odeh attends a meeting at the Knesset on January 21, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Arab-Israeli MK Ayman Odeh, chair of the Hadash-Ta’al party, welcomes the release of the first seven Israeli hostages as part of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but says his “joy is mixed with pain.”

“We have fought for two years for this moment, for the end of the war and a comprehensive deal. We are happy, but our joy is mixed with pain, because of the terrible crimes that were committed and the tunnels of blood our land has absorbed,” he says in a statement, referring to Israel’s war in Gaza — launched in response to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks in which the hostages were abducted — of which Odeh has been highly critical.

The leader of the left-wing Arab-majority opposition party adds that Israel and the Palestinians must “continue the struggle” to achieve a peaceful resolution to the wider conflict, end the occupation — referring to Israel’s ongoing military control of the West Bank — and respect the rights of both peoples.

WATCH: Red Cross vehicles arrive at hostage handover site in southern Gaza

The Arabic-language Al-Araby channel is broadcasting the second stage of the hostage release in southern Gaza, filming from a distance.

According to the reporter on the livestream, the transfer of the hostages to the Red Cross is not taking place in Khan Younis but in a less populated area between the southern and central parts of the Strip. Red Cross vehicles have now arrived at the handover site. According to the report, this is the second and final phase of the release of living hostages, during which 13 hostages will be handed over to the Red Cross.

Footage shows hostages leave Hamas hands, enter Israel

The IDF publishes footage showing the moment released hostages Matan Angrest, brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, Omri Miran, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal crossed the border into Israel after being freed from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.

רגעי חציית השבים בחזרה לשטח מדינת ישראל לפני מספר דקות pic.twitter.com/y1yLPYNUIy

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 13, 2025

The seven have since been brought to an IDF facility near Re’im for an initial checkup and to meet with their families.

Earlier, Arab media outlets published footage from minutes after the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City showing Red Cross vehicles leaving the area, along with vehicles belonging to Hamas fighters.

רכבי הצלב האדום עוזבים את נקודת מסירת החטופים בעיר עזה, לאחר ההעברה. תיעוד שמפרסם גם ערוץ אל-ג'זירה (ערוצים קטרים, כולם להראות מופתעים). כאמור אנשי הזרוע הצבאית במקום, נראה שמנעו מקהל ועיתונאים להיכנס למתחם ההעברה עצמו https://t.co/H5io1pMqKS pic.twitter.com/QprT9D4DoJ

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 13, 2025

Armed Hamas men in the uniforms of the group’s military wing could be seen at the scene.

It appears the exchange itself took place in a closed compound, with no access granted to the public or journalists.

EU welcomes release of hostages from Gaza, crediting Trump

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, welcomes the release of seven Israeli hostages by Hamas, highlighting US President Donald Trump’s role in this “crucial milestone towards peace.”

“President Trump made this breakthrough possible,” she writes on X.

Aryeh Deri celebrates hostages’ return: ‘This is the day the Lord has made’

Chairman of the Shas party, MK Aryeh Deri, speaks during an interview at his home in Jerusalem, on April 15, 2024. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Shas chair MK Aryeh Deri celebrates the release of the first seven Israeli hostages, writing on X, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Our dear brothers, how long we have waited for you. Welcome home!”

The biblical verse is commonly cited in Israel to mark moments of joy. It is also traditionally recited during today’s festive prayers on the holiday of Sukkot.

The seven hostages are the first to be freed under the current ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The ultra-Orthodox leader, at last week’s security cabinet meeting, supported the decision to ratify the US-backed plan to begin a ceasefire in Gaza and return the 48 remaining Israeli hostages there in return for Palestinian security prisoners.

Trump on way to Knesset with Netanyahu

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit together in a car after a welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

US President Donald Trump is on his way to the Knesset in Jerusalem, riding in his armored presidential vehicle, known as The Beast, together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara.

According to Netanyahu’s office, Trump spontaneously invited the Netanyahus on board “The Beast” in a departure from protocol.

Before getting in the car, Trump greeted his daughter Ivanka, and then spoke with her husband Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, all of whom met him upon his arrival.

Coalition, opposition put aside differences to celebrate hostage releases, Trump visit

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle gather in the halls of the Knesset, eating and mingling with dignitaries from the United States.

While Israel’s parliament is festive ahead of US President Donald Trump’s scheduled speech, with many lawmakers expressing optimism for the future, their joy is also tinged with sadness for the losses of the last two years — and, for some, anxiety regarding the possibility of renewed fighting in the future.

“This is a morning that combines joy, pain and hope,” Evgeny Sova, a lawmaker for the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu opposition party tells The Times of Israel. “Nothing is more important than the lives of the hostages, even at the heavy price we are paying… We are paying a price for the negligence of October 7.”

Similarly, MK Vladimir Beliak, of the centrist Yesh Atid party, says today’s hostage release “maybe [marks] a new beginning and change in Israeli society,” and hopes there will be an “alternative government in the Gaza Strip, which is not Hamas, which will also open a path to normalization and, above all, allow us to turn to addressing the internal problems of the State of Israel.”

Shas lawmaker Yinon Azoulay says Hamas’s “era in Gaza is over” and that Israel must strike every time the group raises its head. “And I’m sure that the President of the United States also understands this.”

MK Simcha Rothman of the coalition’s hard-right Religious Zionism party, which opposed the deal, says the US president “means what he says” about the war being over.

“He is saying that if this agreement is implemented as written…Hamas will not control the Strip. Israel remains in the Philadelphi Corridor and on the perimeter,” and neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will rule the strip…. Will it really be the end of the war. I’m skeptical…Because if we fail in this, Hamas will get stronger again and we will arrive at October 7 again.”

Freed hostages arrive at military base for medical checks, unification with family

People react as a convoy carrying the hostages released from the Gaza Strip arrives at a military base near Re'im, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Released hostages Matan Angrest, brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, Omri Miran, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal have arrived at an IDF facility near the border community of Re’im after being escorted out of the Gaza Strip by troops, the military says.

The seven will undergo an initial physical and mental checkup at the army site, and meet family members.

Ben Gvir, after voting against ceasefire deal, cheers hostages’ release

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads an Otzma Yehudit faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on July 21, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts a short message on X, “And the children shall return to their border,” as the first seven Israeli hostages are released and transferred into IDF custody, despite having voted against the deal that secured their release.

The biblical verse is commonly cited in Israel to express hope for the return of captives.

Ben Gvir and his far-right Otzma Yehudit party oppose the current US-brokered ceasefire and corresponding release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners. The party argues that freeing the Palestinian prisoners endangers Israel and rewards Hamas.

The minister has opposed all previous ceasefire deals and has boasted that he foiled previous ceasefire and hostage-release proposals over the course of the two-year war.

Hostages Square crowd cheers Trump, hostages’ reunification with parents

People celebrate as they watch a live broadcast of the release of Israeli hostages after more than two years of Hamas captivity, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, October 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The crowd at Hostages Square cheers as US President Donald Trump alights Air Force One at Ben Gurion Airport, and again when the emcee here relays a Shin Bet and IDF statement saying the seven returning hostages were meeting their parents in Israel.

Minutes earlier, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared via newscast on the big screen at Hostages Square in anticipation for Trump, an emcee preemptively shut down any jeering.

“We’re decent, we’re thinking hostages, not right, not left — straight,” she says.

On Saturday night, Netanyahu’s allies excoriated the crowd at the square that booed when White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said the premier’s name while speaking here.

Trump talks to Netanyahu, Herzog on Ben Gurion tarmac

US President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport on October 13, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

With the red carpet rolled out and a military band playing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and their spouses welcome US President Donald Trump to Israel.

Trump emerges from Air Force One alone, pumps his fist and smiles, then descends the boarding stairs.

He shakes Herzog’s hand first, then puts his hand on Netanyahu’s shoulder. He speaks at length with Herzog, Netanyahu and their spouses in what appears to be a relaxed and friendly conversation as the band plays.

Trump then converses with his ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Israeli envoy to Washington Yechiel Leiter as Netanyahu looks on.

Hostage Bar Kuperstein’s grandmother receives update on his release

Hostage Bar Kuperstein’s grandmother, Faina, speaks to her son, Tal Kuperstein, as he receives an update that Kuperstein is now in the car with the Red Cross.

Tal Kuperstein says he hasn’t seen him yet, but fellow hostage Elkana Bohbot calls to say that Bar is in the same Red Cross vehicle.

Red Cross on way to pick up more hostages from Hamas

A convoy of Red Cross vehicles is now heading to a handover site in the southern Gaza Strip to collect several more hostages from Hamas, the IDF says.

The Red Cross will then bring the hostages to IDF troops inside Gaza, to be escorted out of the Strip to an army facility near Re’im, where they will undergo an initial physical and mental checkup and meet their families

Earlier, seven hostages were freed by Hamas from Gaza City.

Omri Miran’s family celebrates return of dad from Gaza

Lishay Miran-Lavi’s first conversation with her husband Omri, while he was still in Hamas captivity, ahead of his expected release on October 13, 2025 (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Omri Miran is home, the former hostage’s family says in an official statement distributed by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“After more than 700 long, painful, and agonizing days, Omri will finally receive from Roni and Alma a healing embrace,” reads the statement, referring to his two young daughters

The family also shares a picture of the first video call between Miran and his wife Lishay Lavi.

Omri’s father Dani tells Channel 12 that Lavi told her parents that they can bring the young girls, ages 4 and 2, to the hospital, so they can meet their father for the first time after two years.

“We are at the beginning of a complex and challenging, yet moving, journey of recovery,” the family statement further reads, expressing its gratitude to the people of Israel for the support. “May Omri’s return mark the beginning of this recovery and the unity of our people.”

Neighbors of hostages’ families in West Bank settlements watch their return

Residents of the settlement of Shiloh gather together to watch the return of hostages Avinatan Or who grew up in Shiloh, and Rom Braslavski whose father is from the Anatot settlement, on October 13, 2025 (Benjamin Regional Council)

Residents of the West Bank settlements of Shiloh and Anatot gather together to watch the return of hostages Avinatan Or and Rom Braslavski.

Or grew up in Shiloh, while Braslavski’s father is from Anatot.

“From the early morning hours, numerous residents of the Shiloh community gathered to watch the moving moments of liberation and are eagerly waiting to see the son of the Shiloh settlement Avinatan Or in the hands of IDF soldiers on his way to his family,” says a spokesman for the Binyamin Regional Council where both Shiloh and Anatot are located.

Signs welcoming the return of the two young men have been put up around settlements in the region, and the entrance to Shiloh has been specially decorated to celebrate the pending return of Or.

Ben Gurion control tower thanks Trump as Air Force One touches down

US President Donald Trump's Air Force 1 lands at Ben Gurion Airport on October 13, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Ben Gurion Airport control tower welcomes US President Donald Trump, telling him his visit “carries deep meaning for our people in these times.”

“Thank you for your friendship, and for the unbreakable bond between our nations,” the tower continues, in a recording release by Netanyahu’s office. “God bless America, God bless Israel, and the friendship between our peoples.”

“Thank you very much” Trump’s pilot replies.

Commander of hostage Matan Angrest’s IDF unit says troops are ‘waiting for you at home’

The commander of the IDF's 7th Armored Brigade speaks to his troops as one of his soldiers is released from Hamas captivity, in a handout photo issued by the IDF on October 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The commander of the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade speaks to his forces as one of his soldiers, Matan Angrest, is released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip after 738 days.

“This is the closing of a circle for which the brigade has fought over the past two years. The 7th [Brigade] family, the 77th Battalion, and the Armored Corps are waiting for you at home,” the brigade commander says in remarks provided by the IDF.

Five of the remaining 41 hostages still in Gaza are in the 7th Armored Brigade. One of them is still alive, Nimrod Cohen, and four have been declared deceased: Omer Neutra, Daniel Perez, Itay Chen, and Oz Daniel.

Final 13 hostages in Hamas hands set to be handed over

Arabic channel Al-Arabi reports that Hamas will shortly release the remaining 13 living hostages, leaving no living Israeli hostages in its hands.

Hamas’s Shehab channel reports that the transfer will take place in the southern Gaza Strip.

Likud lawmaker says hostage release ‘humiliating,’ calls for Israel to control Gaza

Likud MK Amit Halevi speaks during Education, Culture, and Sports Committee meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem on February 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Likud MK Amit Halevi calls the ongoing release of hostages from Gaza “humiliating,” speaking as the first seven freed captives were transferred into IDF hands this morning.

“How moving these moments are — and how humiliating they are. Oh, how humiliating,” he says in a statement.

“The nation should have bowed its head today and lowered the flag to half-mast,” Halevi says, adding that Israel should have announced “to Hamas and to the whole world that the Jewish people will not forget or forgive until the complete annihilation of the neo-Nazis in Gaza and the restoration of Israeli control over this strip of our homeland.”

Instead, he says, “we play into [Hamas’] hands with sugar-coated coverage that ignores the results of the war.”

Halevi’s remarks come a day after he, as well as Noam chair MK Avi Maoz, announced he would not attend US President Donald Trump’s speech at the Knesset today, which he called an “illusion of victory” and a “false spectacle.”

A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling party, Halevi has long voiced skepticism over Israel’s wartime achievements, saying last year that the IDF overstated the damage it inflicted on Hamas.

Family of hostage Bohbot celebrate imminent release at his home

Friends and family of hostage Elkana Bohbot dance on the balcony of his home on October 13, 2025 (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Friends and family of hostage Elkana Bohbot, expected to be released at 10 a.m., dance on the porch of his home in Mevasseret Zion outside of Jerusalem.

A banner hanging outside the porch reads, “Elkus, how good it is that you are home.”

“Things will be better, things will be better,” those gathered sing from a popular song.

Bohbot’s wife, Rivka, his three-year-old son, Re’em, and his parents are waiting at the army base in Re’im for Bohbot to be released in the second round of hostage releases.

Rivka Bohbot, wife of hostage Elkana, at the Re’im base, arranging his belongings ahead of his arrival, October 13, 2025 (Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

She says in a recording, “The moment has come.”

Mother of hostage Eitan Mor: He is ‘thin and pale,’ but smiling

Eitan Mor, was serving as an unarmed security guard at the Supernova desert rave on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked (Courtesy)

Efrat Mor, mother of hostage Eitan Mor, says that she has seen her son’s face on screen. “He looks thin and pale, but he is smiling,” she says.

“It’s difficult to describe it, to see him standing, speaking, smiling,” Mor says, according to Channel 12. “It’s simply a miracle. He looks great. He’s thin and pale, but besides that, a ten. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, like a second birthday.”

Mor has been released to Israel along with six other living hostages. Thirteen more living hostages are due to be released shortly.

WATCH: President Trump arrives in Israel

US President Donald Trump's Air Force 1 lands at Ben Gurion Airport on October 13, 2025 (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

US President Donald Trump has arrived in Israel for a four-hour visit.

President Donald Trump lands at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport for whirlwind visit

Air Force One carrying US President Donald Trump flies over Hostages Square on October 13, 2025 (Screen grab/Courtesy)

After flying over Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, US President Donald Trump lands at Ben Gurion International Airport, where he is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

The last time US presidential plane Air Force One was in Israel was shortly after the October 7, 2023, attacks, when then-president Joe Biden arrived on a solidarity visit.

Macron welcomes hostage releases, pledges France’s commitment to Trump’s peace plan

French President Emmanuel Macron hails the return of the first seven Israeli hostages to be released from Gaza this morning, saying that with the release of all living hostages, “peace becomes possible for Israel, for Gaza, and for the region.”

“I share the joy of the families and of the Israeli people as seven hostages have just been handed over to the Red Cross,” writes Macron on X.

“With their release — and that of the thirteen other hostages expected this morning — peace becomes possible for Israel, for Gaza, and for the region,” continues the president, who is set to join dozens of world leaders in Egypt at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit today, focusing on advancing the US plan to end the Gaza war. Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of the agreement last week, prompting the hostages’ release.

“France will be involved in every stage of [US] President [Donald] Trump’s plan, alongside the Arab partners it helped mobilize,” Macron says.

I share the joy of the families and of the Israeli people as seven hostages have just been handed over to the Red Cross. My team and I had recently met their parents.

Eitan Mor, Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Omri Miran, Alon Ahel and Guy Gilboa-Dalal are safe.…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 13, 2025

Video shows freed hostages on way to Re’im

A live video broadcast by the Israel Police shows a convoy of vehicles carrying the freed hostages as they make their way to a southern Israel base to be reunited with their families.

Hostage Alon Ohel’s family awaits his return, says ‘he’s standing on his own two feet’

The family of hostage Alon Ohel celebrates his release as they wait for him at the Re'im army base on October 13, 2025 (Courtesy Hostages Forum)