Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Joyce N. Boghosian/White House
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after joint press conference announcing the U.S. peace plan for Gaza in the State Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 29, 2025
By David Woolpy
Assistant Editor
On Monday, October 13, Americans awoke to learn that all 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza were now in Israeli hands and that President Trump would speak to the Knesset that morning.
Amidst a whirlwind of good news few predicted, the world celebrated the outcome of perhaps the most anticipated hostage negotiation of our time. But rather than the beginning of the end, Israel, the United States and many Arab nations now stand at the end of the beginning. Regardless, the good news comes appropriately during the Season of Joy.
On Wednesday, October 8, United States President Donald Trump announced the first phase of an agreement between Israel and Hamas. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first stage of our peace plan,” he posted on social media.
Since that moment, joy has indeed erupted. On October 10, after six hours of debate, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office announced, “The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages — the living and the deceased.”
Within hours of these developments, Palestinian citizens began moving north in Gaza, and IDF forces commenced their withdrawal.
The hostages were released in two stages, the first group of seven returned to Israel at 9:30 a.m. local time. Hours later 13 more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza.
“It’s official,” the IDF declared on social media, “There are no more living Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.”
Later that morning Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump spoke before the Israeli Knesset. Both gave positive, uplifting assessments, and the mood was generally positive, despite a momentary outburst of protestation from Palestinian representatives, who were quickly removed from the chamber.
