Israel Hamas releases first hostages
After more than two years in captivity, the release of the first hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip has begun. Several Israeli media reported this morning that seven of the people kidnapped from Israel had been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). A total of 20 living hostages are to be released today, including the German-Israelis Alon Ohel, Rom Braslavski and Ziv and Gali Berman. According to media reports, three of the four German-Israelis were released during the first handover.
13.10.2025, 07:28
SDA
Israel's military is not assuming that Hamas will be able to hand over all 28 dead hostages today - and thus within the 72-hour deadline agreed as part of the ceasefire. Once the hostages have been handed over to the ICRC, the abductees are to be handed over to the Israeli military within the coastal strip. At the Reim military camp on the edge of the Gaza Strip, there will be a first reunion with relatives, a medical examination and the opportunity to shower and change clothes. The people will then be flown to hospitals for further treatment.
A ceasefire in the Gaza war came into force on Friday as part of a peace plan initiated by US President Donald Trump. In return for handing over the hostages, Israel is to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Among them are up to 250 who have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hostages were held under cruel conditions
The Israeli army had withdrawn to an agreed line at the beginning of the ceasefire. However, the army still has control of around half of the coastal strip sealed off by Israel. The hostages were held under cruel conditions. Previously released hostages had reported torture and severe mistreatment. Videos published by terrorist organizations showed severely emaciated hostages.
Trump: "The war is over"
According to US President Trump, the war is over, despite the fact that further peace negotiations are still pending. "The war is over," the Republican told journalists on board Air Force One on the way to Israel. He assumed that the ceasefire would hold. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, had previously said that the fighting was not yet over. "There are still major security challenges ahead of us." Some enemies were trying to recover in order to attack again, the Israeli head of government had said.
On the eve of the handover of the hostages, Netanyahu spoke of a "historic event". It was "the beginning of a new path. A path of reconstruction, a path of healing," he said in a video address. In addition to the joy over the return of the kidnapped hostages, the day would also be marked by sadness over "the release of the murderers", he added with regard to the Palestinian prisoners to be released.
Trump before departure to Israel: "Everyone is cheering at the same time"
Trump plans to meet relatives of the hostages in Israel this morning (local time) and then give a speech to the Knesset - the Israeli parliament. In the afternoon, he will then travel on to the Egyptian coastal town of Sharm el-Sheikh for a "Middle East peace ceremony" to mark the agreement he brokered between Israel and Hamas. More than 20 heads of state and government are expected there, including from Europe and the Arab world. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also be attending.
Shortly before his departure to the Middle East, Trump told journalists about the successful negotiations: "Everyone is cheering at the same time. This has never happened before. Normally only one person cheers while the other does the opposite." It was the first time that everyone had been enthusiastic, the Republican said. Situation in the Gaza Strip desperate
After two years of war, the situation for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is sealed off by Israel, is desperate. Hundreds of thousands of people have to find their way in a largely destroyed landscape of rubble, presumably littered with unexploded ordnance, in which they can only survive with permanent external aid.
Since the beginning of the ceasefire, Israel has allowed more aid supplies to enter the area: around 600 trucks are expected to arrive every day. According to the UN, this is the minimum amount needed to provide the population with at least the bare necessities. According to Israeli security circles, it should also be possible to repair water pipes, sewage systems and bakeries, for example.
Points of contention remain
However, it is not clear whether the agreement will lead to a long-term end to the fighting in Gaza. Two of the biggest points of contention remain the disarmament of Hamas, which is provided for in Trump's peace plan, and the complete withdrawal of Israel's army from the area. Following an agreed withdrawal, it continues to occupy around half of Gaza. Hamas also continues to deny Israel's right to exist, while Netanyahu and his far-right government partners want to smash Hamas completely.
The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on 7 October in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. Around 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side and more than 250 were taken hostage in Gaza.
Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 67,000 people have been killed so far.
