From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Kushner, Red Cross mark one year since final living hostages freed from Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Senior US envoy Jared Kushner and the International Committee of the Red Cross mark the first anniversary of the release of the final 20 living hostages from Hamas captivity, recalling the captives’ emotional reunions with their families and the diplomatic efforts that made their return possible.
“One year ago today, all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages finally came home after two years of unimaginable suffering in Gaza,” Kushner writes on X, describing witnessing their return as “one of the most special moments of my life.”
Kushner thanks US President Donald Trump for his leadership and determination, alongside Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other top officials from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey who helped secure the October 2025 agreement.
One year ago today, all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages finally came home after two years of unimaginable suffering in Gaza.
Welcoming them home and seeing them reunited with their families was one of the most special moments of my life. After so much pain, uncertainty, and… pic.twitter.com/u1oX43703Z
— Jared Kushner (@jaredkushner) October 13, 2026
Separately, Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC delegation in Israel, tells The Times of Israel that the release of the hostages demonstrates the life-saving power of diplomacy.
“Seeing them reunited with family members who had waited anxiously every day for this moment is something that will stay with me,” Lerisson says.
He stresses that the ICRC repeatedly called for the unconditional release of all hostages throughout their captivity.
The operation, he emphasizes, would not have been possible “without the agreement between the parties and the significant efforts of the mediators.”
“When political agreements are reached, lives can be saved,” Lerisson says. “There is no substitute for the political will to protect human life.”
While the hostages were held in Gaza, the ICRC came under heavy ridicule in Israel for the perception that it could have done far more to push for their release.
The Times of Israel Community.