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14-10-2025
JERUSALEM/ GAZA/ CAIRO: The last 20 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now back in Israel after more than two years in captivity.
The hostages were kidnapped by Hamas during the 7 October attacks in 2023.
Hamas says it will hand over the remains of four dead hostages today, but has told mediators it does not know the location of some of the other 24.
Families demand that the deal to return all the hostages is honored, while the IDF says Hamas must “uphold its part of the agreement”.
In exchange for the hostages, Israel has released almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Donald Trump has arrived in Egypt for a peace summit with world leaders after hailing “the historic dawn of a new Middle East” in an address to Israel’s parliament.
The gathering will be another victory lap for the US president, he has declared that the war in Gaza is over but the negotiations are not, writes Hugo Bachega.
Hostages’ group accuses Hamas of violating agreement
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is calling for “the immediate suspension of all agreement implementation” until every deceased hostage is returned from Gaza.
Earlier, the group said it was told only four bodies of deceased hostages would be returned today. Hamas later confirmed the names of four hostages whose bodies it said would be returned today. The forum says; “Hamas’s violation of the agreement must be met with a very serious response from the government and the mediators.
An agreement must be honored by both sides. If Hamas does not fulfil their part, Israel should not fulfil its part either.
“We demand all 28 hostages back. We will not give up on anyone, until the last hostage is returned.” In a separate update, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz says releasing only four bodies today would be a “failure” by Hamas to meet its commitments.
For context; a copy of the ceasefire agreement published by Israeli media states the remains of all of the deceased hostages should also be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday but it also appears to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all of them within that timeframe.
Red Cross heading to southern Gaza to collect hostages’ bodies: IDF
The Red Cross is on its way into Gaza to collect the bodies of hostages being returned by Hamas, according to the Israeli military.
In a statement, the IDF and Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet say the Red Cross is heading to a meeting point in southern Gaza, where “several coffins of deceased abductees will be handed over to it”.
“The IDF is prepared to receive coffins of additional deceased abductees that will be transferred to the Red Cross later,” the statement adds.
The statement does not specify which of the deceased hostages’ bodies the Red Cross will be collecting, and advises against speculation.
Hamas’s military wing provided the names of four hostages whose bodies it said would be returned today. More now from the Israel Defense Forces, which has just confirmed that all 20 living hostages returned by Hamas today have now been taken to Israeli hospitals.
In a statement, the IDF says Matan Zangauker, Maxim Herkin, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan, Evyatar David, Eitan Horn, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Elkana Bohbot, and Rom Braslavski were taken to hospitals by helicopter “in the past few minutes”.
The IDF says the returned hostages have undergone initial medical assessments, and will now reunite with their families and receive continued medical care. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
