The last 20 living hostages in Gaza were freed on Monday morning, bringing an end to the 737 days of hell they endured in Hamas’ dark terror tunnels.
As part of the first phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, the hostages were escorted out of Gaza by the Red Cross, transferred to the Israel Defense Forces, and reunited with their families.
Prior to being released, Hamas allowed some of the hostages to video call their families as their masked terrorists stood close by or in the frame.
Upon arriving in Israel, freed hostages underwent a medical and psychosocial evaluation before reuniting with their families. Videos of the emotional reunions show the hostages embracing their loved ones.
Prior to the release, many Israelis stayed up all night, eagerly awaiting the return of the hostages.
Israelis aren’t sleeping. Everyone is glued to a screen waiting to see the hostages. This is Hostage Square at 5am. pic.twitter.com/98758ic2f0
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 13, 2025
The twenty released include 11 men kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival: Elkana Bohbot, 35; Rom Braslavski, 22; Evyatar David, 24; Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 23; Maxim Herkin, 35; Segev Kalfon, 27; Bar Abraham Kupershtein, 22; Eitan Abraham Mor, 23; Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25; Alon Ohel, 24; and Avinatan Or, 32.
From Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Gali Berman, 27, and Ziv Berman, 27, were freed. From Kibbutz Nir Oz, the released include David Cunio, 35; Ariel Cunio, 28; Eitan Horn, 38; and Matan Zangauker, 25.
Also released were Omri Miran, 47, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Matan Angrest, 22, who was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz outpost, and Nimrod Cohen, 21, who was kidnapped near the Gaza border.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were set to address the Israeli Knesset following the successful return.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas abducted 251 people from Israel, including children, women, and elderly people. A total of 168 returned home alive and the bodies of 58 others have returned home so far.
Many of the hostages who have returned have testified that they were held for long periods in dark tunnels and subjected to torture, severe starvation, and physical and sexual abuse.
Under the deal, Hamas is supposed to begin returning the bodies of the remaining deceased hostages, though reports indicate that some may be difficult to locate. A joint Israeli-U.S.-Qatari-Egyptian task force will be established to locate any missing remains, with the goal of recovering all of them within 72 hours of the release of the living hostages, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In exchange for the hostages, Israel agreed to release 250 security prisoners — including some convicted of murder — along with 1,722 Gazans detained during the war. Of the 250 prisoners, 15 will be released in Jerusalem, 100 in the West Bank, and 135 will be deported to Gaza or abroad. Israel reportedly warned Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, not to celebrate the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the peace deal.
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According to Israeli media reports, Israeli authorities distributed fliers in neighborhoods where prisoners’ families live, stating that “anyone who participates in such activities exposes himself to punishment and arrest.”
