Hamas and Israel swap prisoners as Trump declares war's end
Hamas and Israel exchanged prisoners on Monday as US President Donald Trump announced the war on Gaza has ended.
The Palestinian movement released 20 living captives from Gaza to the International Red Cross starting starting at 8:00 AM local time (5:00 AM GMT). They were later transferred to Israel.
Shortly after, Israeli authorities began releasing 1,968 Palestinian prisoners under the terms of the agreement.
Most were released to the Gaza Strip, while some were to the occupied West Bank.
Around 150 were expelled from Palestine entirely - initially transferred to Egypt before their planned relocation to other countries at a later stage.
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"The enemy failed to retrieve its captives through military pressure, despite its intelligence superiority and overwhelming power. Now, it is forced to recover them through a prisoner exchange deal - just as the resistance had promised from the beginning," al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement.
"To our free prisoners: Gaza and its resistance have sacrificed their most precious assets and exerted every effort to break your chains. We pledge that your cause will remain at the forefront of our national priorities until you all attain your freedom."
In a rare move ahead of the release of the some of the captives, Hamas allowed several of the detainees to make video calls to their families in Israel.
Footage shared by Israeli media showed captives Matan Zangauker, Nimrod Cohen, and David and Ariel Cunio speaking with their families via video link, alongside Hamas fighters.
משפחתו של יוסף חיים אוחנה משוחחת איתו בטלפון: "אוהבים אותך, כל עם ישראל מחכה לך" pic.twitter.com/JzqiZ9hXKz
— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) October 13, 2025
In Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered at the Hostage Square and cheered as news of the prisoner releases broke.
"The Government of Israel embraces our hostages who have returned to their border," the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X.
"‘And all the congregation of them that returned from the captivity made sukkot and dwelt in the sukkot...and there was very great joy.’ [Nehemiah 8:17]," the office added.
"‘Praised are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe who has given us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this season.’"
Israel bans prisoner release celebrations
Before the exchange, dozens of Palestinian families gathered outside Ofer Prison near Ramallah on Monday awaiting the release of their loved ones.
Despite the hopeful atmosphere, the Israeli military dropped warning leaflets over the area using drones, urging those present to disperse and avoid approaching the prison. Later, it fired rubber-coated bullets and tear gas at the crowd.
The Palestinian prisoners released in the deal include 250 people serving long or life sentences, and approximately 1,718 individuals who were kidnapped from the Gaza Strip over the past two years.
The list does not include high-profile Palestinian figures whose release was requested by Hamas but rejected by Israel.
These include Marwan Barghouti, a popular Fatah military leader; Ahmad Sa’adat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; and senior Hamas members Hassan Salama, Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed, and Abbas al-Sayed.
'Our feelings are mixed - happiness at his freedom, but deep sadness that our mother passed away before she could see her beloved son'
- Sister of Palestinian set to be released
The sister of Anan Shalabi, a prisoner from Nablus who has spent 25 years in Israeli detention and is serving a life sentence, said the family feels mixed emotions.
“Our feelings are mixed - happiness at his freedom, but deep sadness that our mother passed away before she could see her beloved son,” she told Middle East Eye.
“She waited for him every day and always said she would see him before she died, but she passed away a year and a half ago after falling ill.”
Despite their grief, the family is preparing to welcome Anan home with a low-key celebration.
Over the weekend, Israeli forces raided the homes of several prisoners’ families across the occupied West Bank, warning them against holding any form of celebrations.
“We thank God above all,” Anan’s sister said. “We will hold a modest celebration, marry him off, and pray he finally gets to see his children. We just want to hold him, rejoice with him, and start a new chapter.”
In Gaza, large crowds received the hundreds of prisoners who were released to the war-torn strip.
'War is over. It's over, okay?'
The prisoner swap is part of an agreement signed in Egypt last week to end the war on Gaza, lift Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid, and ensure and Israeli withdrawal from urban areas within the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump landed in Israel, where he addressed the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) and met with Netanyahu and the families of the freed Israeli captives.
Ahead of his departure from the United States, Trump dismissed any doubts over the permanence of the current ceasefire.
When asked about Netanyahu's hesitation to officially declare an end to the fighting, Trump told reporters:
"The war is over. It’s over. Okay? You understand that?"
He added that there were “a lot of reasons why [the ceasefire] is going to hold.”
During his Knesset address, he reiterated the message that the war had ended.
“You're not at war anymore, Bibi - you can be nice,” Trump said, addressing Netanyahu.
Later on Monday, Trump will travel to Egypt to co-chair an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The summit is expected to finalise the Hamas-Israel agreement to end the war on Gaza. Neither Israel nor Hamas will participate directly in the event.
The ceasefire deal marks the first phase of the US's so-called "peace plan", with further stages to be negotiated at a later date.
These are expected to include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of international troops in the territory.
Neither Hamas, Israel, nor the mediators have clarified the timeline for these talks.
The war began on 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel, citing decades of occupation, increased Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, the 16-year blockade on Gaza, and the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.
During the initial hours of the attack, Israel’s Gaza Division - a key component of the southern command - collapsed after Hamas fighters killed hundreds of soldiers, leading to chaos along the Gaza-Israel boundary.
The division had been responsible for monitoring Palestinians, enforcing the blockade, and carrying out air strikes on the besieged enclave.
Around 1,180 were killed in the assault, with more than 700 additional deaths reported in the fighting since. Nearly half of Israel’s total death toll is civilians, while the remainder are soldiers. Palestinian groups also took 251 people captive.
In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, followed by a devastating ground invasion that lasted two years, accompanied by a strict siege on the population.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, over 80 percent of whom are believed to be civilians, according to leaked data from the Israeli military. At least 9,500 others are missing under the rubble and presumed dead.
The assault also caused widespread famine and led to the destruction or damage of nearly every standing structure in Gaza - including homes, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches.
Numerous international bodies, UN experts and countries have classified Israel’s actions as acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Throughout the war, Israel has released approximately 4,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of Israeli captives held by Hamas.
As part of the latest deal, the remains of 28 Israeli captives still in Gaza are expected to be returned once located, in exchange for the remains of dozens of Palestinians held by Israel.
More than 10,000 Palestinians will remain in Israeli custody, nearly half of them held without charge or trial. The remains of hundreds of Palestinians will also continue to be held by Israel.
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