On Monday morning, 13 October, Hamas handed all surviving Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, ending a two‑year ordeal.
End of Two‑Year Suffering
On Monday morning, 13 October, Hamas transferred all remaining Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The handover began at 7:00 Polish time and lasted just over two hours.
The Israeli army confirmed that 20 individuals were transferred to Israeli security services and transported to Israel, where they receive medical and psychological assistance. “We waited 738 days to say this: Finally they’re home!” read a post on the official Israeli Defense Forces profile.
Historic Exchange
Under the same agreement, Israel will release almost two thousand Palestinian prisoners, mainly those detained after 2023, and Hamas will hand over the bodies of 28 Israeli hostages who died during captivity.
The exchange stemmed from an arrangement negotiated with the support of the Donald Trump administration. It marks the first wide‑scale agreement since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were kidnapped. Israeli forces had carried out an offensive in Gaza for more than two years, costing over 67,000 Palestinian lives.
