Cairo: Hamas has released the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza under a ceasefire deal, as Israel sent home busloads of Palestinian detainees. US President Donald Trump declared the end of the two-year-long Gaza war, describing it as a new dawn for peace in the Middle East.
Hours after the final releases, Trump convened Muslim and European leaders in Egypt to discuss Gaza’s future and prospects for a broader regional settlement. Israel and Hamas, both absent from the meeting, have yet to agree on the next steps.
The Israeli military confirmed that all 20 surviving hostages had been received following their transfer from Gaza by the Red Cross. Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv’s ‘Hostage Square,’ erupting in tears and applause as news spread.
In Gaza, similar scenes of emotion played out as thousands welcomed the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released by Israel as part of the agreement.
“The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” Trump said in an address to Israel’s parliament.
HISTORIC MOMENT.
President Donald J. Trump, alongside the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, signs the Gaza Peace Plan for peace in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/depaxQO8g2
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 13, 2025
Summit in Egypt
Later that day, Trump joined Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, attended by more than 20 world leaders. The gathering, co-hosted with Qatar and Turkey, aimed to reinforce the ceasefire and chart Gaza’s reconstruction.
Trump and the leaders signed a document pledging to work collectively to implement and sustain this legacy. Egypt said talks also covered Gaza’s governance, security, and rebuilding.
“Now the rebuilding begins,” Trump told delegates, describing the Gaza deal as potentially the greatest deal of them all.
Notably absent were Israel and Hamas. The leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also skipped the summit. Trump met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who reiterated the Authority’s wish to take part in Gaza’s future administration despite Israeli resistance.
“We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny…. We commit ourselves to a future of enduring peace.” pic.twitter.com/qj38wYELVM
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 13, 2025
Challenges Ahead
The ceasefire followed one of Israel’s largest offensives of the war. According to Gaza health officials, 68,000 Palestinians died during the two-year conflict, while 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, that triggered the war.
Though fighting has stopped, serious challenges remain. Israel must recover the remains of 26 hostages believed dead and determine the fate of two others still missing. Aid agencies warn that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face famine amid a desperate shortage of food, medicine, and fuel.
“Huge aid deliveries must begin immediately. Shelter, fuel, food, and medicine must reach people who have endured unimaginable suffering,” said UN relief chief Tom Fletcher.
Questions also remain over Gaza’s future governance and Hamas’s role. The group has not agreed to Israel’s demand to disarm, and local sources reported that Hamas gunmen recently killed 32 members of a rival faction in Gaza City following Israel’s pullback.
In the occupied West Bank, tensions have risen alongside continued Israeli settlement expansion. Trump acknowledged that Hamas had been allowed to maintain temporary security control in Gaza to keep order for a period of time.
Across Israel, scenes of joy unfolded as freed hostages returned home. Families received phone calls from loved ones, their faces lighting up with disbelief and tears.
In Gaza, families gathered outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to welcome returning prisoners. Many of the released detainees waved Palestinian flags and flashed victory signs from bus windows, their return marking a rare moment of hope amid devastation.
