13.10.2025 08:24
The world's eyes will be on Gaza today. The release of Israeli hostages will begin at 08:00 at the Netzarim Corridor. Hamas will release the second group of hostages at 10:00 from the city of Khan Younis in Gaza.
The Israeli government announced today that the hostages in Gaza will be released early in the morning. The government spokesperson stated, "We expect the release of the 20 living hostages all at once."
The spokesperson also mentioned that they are ready to receive the lifeless bodies of the 28 hostages who lost their lives after the living hostages are handed over. The government spokesperson added that Palestinian prisoners will be released after all hostages are retrieved.
THE RELEASE OF HOSTAGES WILL START AT 08:00
Israeli media also reported that the hostages will be released at 08:00 in the Netzarim Corridor. According to the news, the bodies of the deceased hostages will be handed over two hours later. The families of the hostages are waiting for their loved ones with Israeli flags in their hands. The hostages released from the Netzarim Corridor, which starts from Gaza and ends in Re'im, will reunite with their families and return home.
An Israeli official, in a statement to the Jerusalem Post, recalled that Hamas announced it would release all hostages, arguing that the release of only 20 hostages creates a contradiction. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal based on sources close to the matter, Hamas confirmed that 20 hostages are alive. While Hamas stated that there would be no issues regarding the handover of the living hostages, it mentioned that finding the bodies of those who lost their lives could take time.
ISRAEL WANTS TO DESTROY GAZA TUNNELS
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated in a post on X this morning that after the return of the hostages, Israel's priority will be the destruction of Hamas tunnels. In Katz's post, he said, "After the phase of returning the hostages, the biggest challenge Israel will face will be the destruction of all terrorist tunnels in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces directly and through an international mechanism to be established under the leadership and supervision of the U.S. I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare to carry out this mission."
WILL PROMISES BE KEPT WHEN HOSTAGES ARE RELEASED?
According to the agreement that came into effect on Friday, Hamas agreed to hand over its hostages without reaching an agreement on Israel's complete withdrawal. Two Palestinian officials from Hamas acknowledged that this is a risky gamble due to the U.S. president's strong commitment to the agreement and not allowing it to fail.
According to a report by Reuters, one of the Hamas officials stated, "Hamas leaders are aware that the gamble they are playing could backfire." The report suggests that after the hostages are released, there are fears that Israel may resume its military operations, similar to the ceasefire in January 2025, which involved close involvement from President Trump's team. One Hamas official told Reuters that Trump's enthusiasm was "heavily" felt in the conference center. A senior U.S. official stated that Trump personally called three times during the marathon session and that his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff were shuttling between Israeli and Qatari negotiators.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE OTHER ITEMS OF THE PLAN?
The war that began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, could pave the way for its end, but there is no certainty that the subsequent phases outlined in Trump's 20-point Gaza plan will materialize. However, two Palestinian officials participating in the talks and another source stated that Trump's positions on both the Qatari attacks and the ceasefire that ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran in June gave Hamas negotiators confidence that the U.S. president would not allow Israel to resume fighting as soon as the hostages are released.
According to a source close to the matter in Washington, Trump's advisors saw an opportunity to use his anger towards Netanyahu over the Qatari attacks to pressure the Israeli leader to accept a framework to end the Gaza war. A senior official from the White House stated that Trump, who has established significant ties with Gulf countries in terms of diplomatic and economic policies, sees the Emir of Qatar as a friend and expressed his displeasure with the broadcast of the attack images on television, describing the attack as a significant turning point that united the Arab world.
A Palestinian official in Gaza, in a statement regarding the negotiations and mediation efforts, said that Trump's public promise to Qatar that there would be no further Israeli attacks has gained him credibility in the eyes of Hamas and other regional actors. Jonathan Reinhold from the Department of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University in Israel stated, "Qatar's assurance that Israel would not attack them again has increased Hamas's confidence that the ceasefire will be permanent."