Israeli Hostages Set to Be Released as Hamas Announces Prisoner Exchange on the 13th | WPN World People News

As the Israel-Hamas conflict marks its second anniversary, both sides reached a first-phase ceasefire agreement on October 8, local time, under the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump. The truce officially took effect on October 10. As part of the agreement, Hamas handed over the first group of seven Israeli hostages to the Red Cross on the 13th in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

According to the first phase of the agreement, Hamas must release the remaining 48 Israeli hostages within 72 hours—including 20 survivors—in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detained Gaza residents. The released hostages will first be taken to military bases for reunions with their families. Since the truce took effect, about 600 trucks per day have entered the Gaza Strip, delivering food and medical supplies. Although more than 500,000 Palestinians have returned to Gaza, residents continue to face severe shortages and hardships due to the extensive destruction caused by the war.

President Trump arrived in Israel on the 13th and is expected to meet with the families of the hostages and possibly visit the released captives in person. Before his departure, he told reporters, “The war is over.” Trump will next travel to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will co-host the Gaza Peace Summit. The summit is expected to include more than 20 international leaders, among them Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and aims to end the war in Gaza, strengthen peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security.