All 20 Living Hostages Released After 2 Years' Captivity Following Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Deal

Published: Oct 14 2025

All 20 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have finally returned to Israel after enduring more than two years of captivity amidst the relentless war. On the morning of Monday, October 13th, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took to Facebook, sharing heartwarming photographs that captured the emotional reunions of the hostages with their loved ones, following a harrowing 738-day separation. "It’s official: There are no more living Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity," the IDF proudly declared.

All 20 Living Hostages Released After 2 Years' Captivity Following Israel and Hamas Ceasefire Deal 1

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs verified the names of the second group of hostages released by Hamas, listing them as Elkana Bohbot, Avinatan Or, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Segev Kalfon, Maxim Herkin, Bar Kupershtein, Eitan Horn, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Matan Zangauker, and Nimrod Cohen, as per multiple Facebook posts. The first seven hostages—Eitan Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, and Matan Angrest—had already been freed earlier that morning.

The bodies of the remaining 28 deceased hostages are also anticipated to be handed over as part of a ceasefire agreement that has temporarily halted over two years of relentless conflict, the Associated Press reported. However, the timeline for returning these human remains remains unclear.

This news coincides with President Donald Trump's arrival in Israel on Monday, where he declared, "the war is over," following the landmark deal between Israel and Hamas, according to the BBC. Speaking aboard Air Force One before an appearance at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, the president expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold and announced the establishment of a "Board of Peace" for Gaza, which he described as resembling a "demolition site."

In exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages, Israel has agreed to release 250 Palestinian prisoners and over 1,700 detainees, the BBC stated.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, Trump announced on the evening of Wednesday, October 8th, that the two sides had reached a ceasefire agreement, along with an arrangement for Israel to withdraw troops from most of Gaza and for Hamas to return all Israeli hostages, both living and deceased. "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. "This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!"

"This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"

Following cabinet approval, Hamas had 72 hours to release the 20 hostages and the 28 deceased, according to terms reported by the Israeli press agency TPS-IL on Thursday, October 9th.

The ceasefire comes just after the two-year anniversary of Hamas' October 7th, 2023, attack on Israel, which ignited the war in Gaza and followed several failed attempts at peace. Longstanding tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territories erupted in October 2023 when Hamas—designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department—launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and taking at least 150 hostages.

In response, Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip and has since killed or injured an estimated 11% of Gaza's population, according to NPR. The scale of the war has led to allegations of genocide and a global surge in both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

After a few temporary ceasefires, Israel and Hamas agreed to a multi-phase peace agreement in January that aimed to end the war. However, in March—before the plan reached its second phase, in which Israeli forces would withdraw from the Gaza Strip entirely—Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed its hostilities with new airstrikes.

Israel and Iran also reached a ceasefire on June 23rd, following a 12-day conflict of airstrikes between the two countries. Israel initially attacked Iran on June 13th to prevent the nation from developing nuclear weapons—despite Iran's insistence that it was not using its nuclear program to develop bombs. The two countries traded airstrikes until June 21st, when the United States intervened to attack three Iranian nuclear sites. Two days later, an apparent ceasefire agreement was reached to halt the fighting between Israel and Iran.

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