Israel and Hamas Finalize Deal to Free All Hostages, End War
Treat day for Israel, the world’ - LIVE BLOG courtesy of The Times of Israel, click the UPDATES in our main menu to view the newest information
UPDATES from Live Blog on The Times of Israel
Timestamps are Jerusalem… for the latest updates click here, we will update this post periodically throughout the event
THURSDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2025
Report: Hamas has agreed to Gaza deal, which will be signed Thursday in Egypt
Sources in “the Palestinian resistance” tell the Hezbollah-affiliated outlet al-Mayadeen that Hamas has agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal, adding that it will be signed Thursday in Egypt.
Families of hostages anxiously await Trump’s expected announcement of Gaza deal
The families of hostages held in Gaza anxiously await US President Donald Trump’s expected social media post declaring a deal to free their loved ones from captivity and end the Israel-Hamas war.
“It’s impossible to breathe,” tweets Yotam Cohen, the brother of hostage soldier Nimrod Cohen.
Ditza Or, the mother of captive Avinatan Or, shares a quote from the Book of Isaiah about “announcing peace, heralding good tidings, announcing salvation.”
Announcement of Gaza deal imminent after biggest hurdles resolved — sources
By Jacob Magid
The biggest issues in the Gaza talks have been resolved and what remains to be finalized is merely procedural, two sources briefed on the negotiations in Egypt tell The Times of Israel.
An announcement of the deal is imminent, the sources say.
Hamas will release all the living hostages as soon as Saturday after Gaza deal signed — sources
By Jacob Magid
Hamas negotiators including Khalil al-Hayya (second from left) seen in a photo indicating success in the mediated Israel-Hamas negotiations on a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the early hours of October 9, 2025. (Telegram / used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Hamas will release all the remaining living hostages as early as Saturday, two sources familiar with the negotiations tell The Times of Israel.
The deal will be signed Thursday in Egypt, the sources say.
‘With God’s help we will bring them all home,’ says Netanyahu as Trump announces Gaza deal
By Jacob Magid
Israeli negotiators including Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer (second left) and Gal Hirsch (left) are seen in a photo indicating success in the mediated Israel-Hamas negotiations on a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the early hours of October 9, 2025. (Screenshot, via Telegram / used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu puts out a statement saying, “With God’s help we will bring them all home,” at the same time as US President Donald Trump announces a hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal on his Truth Social media platform.
Trump announces Israel and Hamas have reached deal, says all the hostages will be freed ‘very soon’
By Jacob Magid
A sign urging US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza is hoisted during a rally demanding a ceasefire-hostage deal, outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, September 30, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
US President Donald Trump announces that Israel and Hamas have signed off on the “first phase” of his plan to end the Gaza war.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump posts on Truth Social.
“All Parties will be treated fairly!” He reiterates, in a message widely understood to be directed at Hamas, which has sought guarantees from Trump that he won’t allow Israel to resume the war once the hostages are released
“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America; and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen,” Trump continues.
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he adds.
Qatar says details of Gaza deal to be announced later
By Jacob Magid
Israeli negotiator Nitzan Alon (far left) shakes hands with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in a photo indicating success in the mediated Israel-Hamas negotiations on a Gaza hostage-ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the early hours of October 9, 2025. Second from right with back to camera is US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. (Telegram / used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al—Ansari tweets, “The mediators announce that tonight an agreement was reached on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid.”
“The details will be announced later,” he adds.
Hostage Families Forum hails announcement of deal, says struggle not over ‘until the last captive returns’
Hostages and Missing Families Forum greets US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal to free their loved ones from Hamas captivity and end the war in Gaza with “excitement, hope and concern.”
“This is important and significant progress toward returning everyone, but our struggle has not ended and will not end until the last hostage returns,” the group says in a statement.
The forum calls on the government to immediately hold a meeting to approve the agreement, warning that any delay could pose a risk to the captives and Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
The families also express “their deep thanks” to Trump and his administration, hailing his “leadership and determination which led to a historic breakthrough.”
“There are still 48 hostages in Hamas captivity. We are obliged morally and as a nation to return everyone home, the living and dead together,” the statement adds.
Einav Zangauker hails the imminent return of her son Matan from Hamas captivity
Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan Zangauker, one of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian terrorists, speaks during a demonstration calling for the release of all hostages in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on January 25, 2025 (Jack Guez / AFP)
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, posts her response to news that he is set to be freed with the rest of the hostages in the near future.
“Matan is coming home to me, to [his sisters] Natalie and Shani, and to [his partner] Ilana, the love of his life,” writes Zangauker, who has been among the most vociferous critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis and war.
“To all of you, to the state, I prayed for these tears,” she concludes.
Netanyahu says government will meet Thursday to okay deal to ‘bring all our dear hostages home’
After Hamas agrees to the first phase of the US plan to end the Gaza war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hails “a great day for Israel” and says he will convene the government tomorrow to authorize the agreement.
“A great day for Israel. Tomorrow I will convene the government to approve the agreement and bring all our dear hostages home,” Netanyahu says in a statement from his office.
“I thank the brave IDF soldiers and all the security forces — it is thanks to their courage and sacrifice that we have reached this day,” he adds.
The premier extends his “heartfelt thanks” to US President Donald Trump and his team “for their dedication to this sacred mission of freeing our hostages.”
“With God’s help, together we will continue to achieve all our goals and expand peace with our neighbors,” Netanyahu concludes.
Hamas demands mediators ‘compel the occupation government to fully implement’ Gaza deal
Hamas issues a statement confirming the hostage-ceasefire agreement with Israel, which the terror group says “provides for an end to the war in Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation forces, the entry of humanitarian aid, and a prisoner exchange.”
The Palestinian terrorist organization thanks the mediators and US President Donald Trump for brokering an end to the war triggered by its October 7, 2023, onslaught against Israel, while urging them “to compel the occupation government to fully implement the obligations of the agreement and to prevent it from evading or delaying the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”
“We salute our great people in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem and the West Bank, inside our homeland and abroad, who have demonstrated unmatched honor, courage, and steadfastness, confronting the occupation’s fascist schemes that targeted them and their national rights,” the statement adds.
“We affirm that our people’s sacrifices will not be in vain, and we pledge to remain faithful to our cause and never abandon our national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.”
Hailing deal, Herzog says ‘all of Israel stands with the hostages’
President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, appear in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as part of a nationwide protest, August 17, 2025. (President’s Office)
President Isaac Herzog says “all of Israel stands with the hostages” in a social media post celebrating Hamas’s agreement to freeing the hostages as part of the US plan for ending the Gaza war.
“At this hour, all of Israel stands with the hostages. All of Israel stands with their families,” Herzog writes in a Hebrew-language post on X.
“They shall return from the land of the enemy… and children shall return to their own borders,” he adds, quoting a verse from the biblical book of Jeremiah.
‘There is no happiness like this,’ says aunt of hostage twins Gali and Ziv Berman
Ziv and Gali Berman were taken captive by Hamas terrorists from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)
Liran Berman, whose twin brothers Gali and Ziv are held hostage in Gaza, posts a brief item expressing delight that they are to be released in the very near future.
“My Gali and Zivi, I love you so much. You’re coming back home,” he writes.
Their aunt, Maccabit Meir, tells Channel 12 that “there is no happiness like this.”
Maccabit Meirr, aunt of twin hostages Gali and Ziv Berman, speaks in Hostages Square, September 13, 2025 (Lior Rotshtein / Hostages Families forum)
She says, “So many people are so happy” to hear the news that the hostages are to be released. “I can’t tell you how many messages I’m getting,” she says.
“It’s happening, it’s happening,” she repeats. “We were so afraid, and now I’m crying tears of happiness, not tears of fear,” she says.
Hamas-held hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal speaks in a video released by the terror group on September 5, 2025.
Merav Gilboa-Dalal, mother of hostage Guy, says, “The main thing is that my son should come back healthy and on his own two feet.”
“That’s what I wish for all of us,” she says.
“And the experiences that they will have afterward will be amazing. Because we got him back again, a gift — one of the most amazing children in the world. A dream. A gift.”
Merav Gilboa-Dalal, left, shows a photo of her son Guy, one of the hostages being held by Hamas, as she’s flanked by Guy’s brother Gal, during a press conference in Rome, April 8, 2024. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
“Finally, this saga, of the war, the injured, the dead, this pain of our heroic soldiers who gave their souls for us [is coming to an end], and the hostages, the victory, that they are all coming home,” she continues. “And I hope the slain hostages will all return at the same time, and that we can close this circle.”
Trump shares video of several hostage families thanking him for helping secure their loved ones’ freedom
By Jacob Magid
US President Donald Trump shares a video of several relatives of hostages in Gaza thanking him for securing their loved ones’ freedom from Hamas captivity.
video here:
Netanyahu hails ‘historic’ hostage release deal in call with Trump, invites him to address Knesset
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump after a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House, Washington, DC, September 29, 2025. (AP Photo/ Alex Brandon)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just held an “emotional and warm” phone call with US President Donald Trump after Hamas agreed to the hostage-release phase of Trump’s deal for ending the war in Gaza, according to the premier’s office, which says Netanyahu invited the American leader to address the Knesset.
“The two held a very emotional and warm conversation, congratulating one another on the historic achievement of signing the agreement for the release of all the hostages,” Netanyahu’s office says in a statement.
Netanyahu “thanked President Trump for his efforts and for his global leadership, and President Trump praised the prime minister for his resolute leadership and the actions he has taken,” the readout continues.
Netanyahu invited Trump to address the Knesset in Israel, and the two leaders “agreed to continue their close cooperation,” the statement adds.
In a separate statement, Netanyahu declares: “With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”
“From the beginning, I made it clear: we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved,” he continues.
“Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point…God Bless Israel. God Bless America. God Bless our great alliance,” Netanyahu says.
Trump cheers Gaza deal as ‘a great day for the world’
By Reuters
US President Donald Trump tells Reuters that a Gaza hostages-for-ceasefire deal hammered out in Egypt represented “a great day for the world.”
“The whole world has come together on this one, Israel, every country has come together. This has been a fantastic day,” Trump tells Reuters in a brief telephone interview.
“This is a great day for the world. This is a wonderful day, a wonderful day for everybody,” he says.
Lapid: Israel ‘waiting with bated breath’ for hostages’ return; Katz praises troops for ‘bringing us to this great moment’
Israeli politicians hail the agreement announced by US President Donald Trump for the release of hostages held by Hamas and a ceasefire in Gaza.
“We are waiting for our children with bated breath,” Opposition Leader Yair Lapid writes on X, while thanking Trump.
Blue and White-National Unity chief Benny Gantz says “all our hearts are with the 48 families, hoping and praying for the release of everyone — the living to the bosoms of their loved ones, and the dead for a proper burial in the soil of Israel.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz praises Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “for the leadership that led to the deal,” as well as “the heroic IDF soldiers whose courage, determination and incredible sacrifice brought us to this great moment.”
Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, which has opposed previous ceasefire deals that didn’t include the return of all the captives, also praises the agreement, saying “everyone will return home… without anyone remaining behind.”
‘A great day for Israel and the world’: Trump indicates he will speak at Knesset in coming days, says Netanyahu ‘is so happy’
A man wearing a mask of US President Donald Trump holds a heart-shaped balloon during a rally organized by families of hostages held by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, in the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art known as the “Hostages’ Square,” on October 4, 2025. (Jack Guez/AFP)
United States President Donald Trump tells Channel 12 news over the phone that he is likely to visit Israel in the coming days and deliver a speech at the Knesset following the agreement on a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire.
A senior official in the Trump administration tells The Times of Israel that the decision is not yet finalized, though the trip appears increasingly likely.
The White House National Security Council has communicated that chances for the visit are “gearing up, but not one hundred percent,” the official says.
After Netanyahu invited the American leader to address the Israeli parliament in a phone call this evening, Trump tells Channel 12: “They want me to give a speech at the Knesset and I will definitely do that if they want me to.”
“It is a great day for Israel and for the world,” Trump says, adding that his call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the agreement “was great.”
“He is so happy. He should be. It is a great achievement. The whole world has come together to reach this deal, including countries that were enemies,” he says.
Zamir tells troops to be ‘ready for any scenario’ as IDF readies for return of hostages
By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) is seen on Gaza’s coast in the Netzarim Corridor area south of Gaza City, October 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF says it welcomes the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas that will bring the hostages home in the coming days.
Following an overnight assessment, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir issued an order for troops “to be ready for any scenario,” as the military takes preparations for the return of the hostages and a partial pullback of forces in the Gaza Strip as part of the deal.
A statement says soldiers will operate “in accordance with the orders of the political echelon and the stages of the deal, and with responsibility while safeguarding our soldiers.”
The IDF also stresses “it will continue to act to realize the goals of the war and to safeguard citizens of the State of Israel on all fronts.”
Trump: All the hostages will be released Monday, ‘including the bodies of the dead’
US President Donald Trump tells Fox News’ “Hannity” program that hostages held by Hamas-led terrorists in Gaza will probably be released on Monday, after earlier announcing an agreement between Israel and Hamas over the first phase of a ceasefire.
“They [the hostages] are in a terrible situation there. They are deep, deep in the earth,” Trump says, referring to the Hamas tunnels under Gaza. “As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed.”
“We think they will all be coming back on Monday… and that will include the bodies of the dead,” he adds.
Trump: Netanyahu told me everyone likes him now. I said, ‘More importantly, they are loving Israel again’
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) shake hands at the end of a press conference at which Trump set out a plan to end the war in Gaza, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
In an interview with “Hannity” on Fox News, US President Donald Trump recounts his phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after announcing a hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal.
“I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu just a little while ago,” Trump says. “He called. He said, ‘I can’t believe it. Everybody is liking me now,’ meaning him. I said, ‘More importantly, they are loving Israel again,’ and they really are. I said, ‘Israel cannot fight the world Bibi, they cannot fight the world.’ And he understands that very well. So it’s amazing the way it’s all come together.”
Trump continues: “It was just a set of circumstances, like, for instance, taking out the nuclear potential, nuclear power of Iran. So many different things happened that were so amazing.It’s a lot of talent involved, I’ll tell you. But there was a certain degree of luck too. You know, you need luck also. There is such a thing as luck.”
The American leader touts the “tremendous help” from members of his administration in getting the deal over the finish line, “with everybody from Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Marco [Rubio], and we had everybody. JD [Vance], the whole, the whole group was just amazing. And the military was, as you know, very instrumental in getting this done. We have a great military with great leadership.”
“The whole world came together, to be honest, so many countries that you wouldn’t have even thought of it, and they came together. The world has come together around this deal, and that’s something I would say that without that wouldn’t happen,” he adds. “So many countries that you wouldn’t have thought of have wired their best wishes and their commitment to do whatever is necessary. The countries surrounding have all signed, I mean, they’re all signed up, and it’s been, it’s been really an amazing period of time.”
Trump also claims “this is more than Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East, an incredible thing.”
Hostage families thank Trump over speakerphone: ‘Trust you will fulfill the mission until every hostage is home’
The families of hostages meeting in Washington with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speak by phone with President Donald Trump, thanking him for his efforts to secure their loved ones’ return from Gaza.
“Mr. President, we believe in you, we know you’ve done so much for us… and we trust you will fulfill the mission until every hostage, every 48 of the hostages, are home,” one of the relatives says over speakerphone.
Another adds: “God bless you Mr. President, God bless America.”
Trump responds by saying all the hostages are coming back on Monday, which is met with applause from the families.
Families of hostages held in Gaza speak with US President Donald Trump by speakerphone as they meet Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, October 8, 2025. (Hostage Families Forum)
Israeli envoy to US: End of Gaza war depends on implementation of deal’s first stage
By AP
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter talks with reporters on May 22, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter told CNN that living hostages held by Hamas would be released on Sunday or Monday — with a 72-hour clock for Hamas to make the release beginning once the cabinet meets, Thursday afternoon or evening, to approve the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the agreement.
Leiter says that Israel hopes the deal will lead to an end to the war, but that will depend on how well it is implemented.
“We hope it leads to a complete cessation of hostilities and a rebuilding of Gaza for the sake of the Gazans and for the sake of Israel,” he says.
“But it’s the first stage, and we’ve got to see the first stage implemented completely in the next few days.”
Leiter, whose eldest son was killed in the war while serving in the IDF, credited Israeli military pressure with bringing Hamas to the negotiating table after two years of conflict.
Gazans cheer news of ceasefire deal: ‘Finally feel like we’re getting a moment of respite’
By Nurit Yohanan and AFP
Video filmed overnight shows dozens of Palestinians in the streets of Khan Younis and central Gaza as they dance and sing to celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire agreement.
At one celebration, a reveler is seen holding Palestinian flags.
“Honestly, when I heard the news, I couldn’t hold back. Tears of joy flowed. Two years of bombing, terror, destruction, loss, humiliation, and the constant feeling that we could die at any moment,” displaced Gazan Samer Joudeh tells AFP.
“Now, we finally feel like we’re getting a moment of respite,” he adds.
video:
IDF says northern Gaza still an active combat zone, warns residents against returning
The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, addresses residents of Gaza, announcing that the area north of Wadi Gaza — the northern part of the Strip — is still defined as a combat zone.
“IDF troops are still encircling Gaza City, and returning there is extremely dangerous. For your safety, avoid going back north or approaching areas where the army is operating, until official instructions are issued,” Adraee says on X.
Herzog says Gaza deal ‘offers a chance to mend, heal and open a new horizon of hope’
By Lazar Berman
President Isaac Herzog calls it “a morning of historic and momentous news.”
He offers his thanks to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the negotiating team and the mediators.
He also extends his “deepest thanks” to US President Donald Trump for his “incredible leadership toward securing the release of the hostages, bringing an end to the war, and creating hope for a new reality in the Middle East. There is no doubt that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for this.”
Herzog says that if Trump visits Israel in the coming days, “he will be received with immense respect, affection, and gratitude by the people of Israel.”
“This agreement will bring moments of indescribable relief to the dear families who have not slept for 733 days,” says Herzog.
“This agreement offers a chance to mend, to heal, and to open a new horizon of hope for our region.”
Hostage families ask Trump for meeting to thank him personally
Celebrating a deal to bring their loved ones home after two years of captivity, families of hostages release an open letter thanking US President Donald Trump for pushing the agreement and requesting a meeting during his likely upcoming trip to the region.
“You have given us back what we thought we had lost forever,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum writes. “You kept your promise, and for that our families will be forever grateful.”
The families suggest Trump could deliver a public address in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the locus of their activist movement, or could meet them privately “or any gathering that fits your schedule.”
“We would be deeply honored if you would meet with us during your upcoming visit to Israel. The wives, children, parents, and siblings whose lives you changed wish to thank you in person,” they write. “We simply need the opportunity to look you in the eye and express what words alone cannot fully convey: that you gave us back our families, and with them, our hope.”
Trump earlier told Channel 12 news he was looking to visit Israel in the coming days and would likely address the Knesset, though his plans have not yet been officially confirmed.
Relatives, supporters and Trump impersonator celebrate deal at Hostages Square
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip celebrate after the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a plan releasing the hostages and ending war in Gaza, in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (AP/Emilio Morenatti)
Families of hostages and supporters are gathering in Hostages’ Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate the finalization of a deal expected to bring all captives home within days.
Relatives from varying backgrounds, bonded together over the last two years as they waged a coordinated campaign for the release of their loved ones, embrace as they revel in the overnight developments.
Einav Zangauker, among the leading protester voices within the movement, stands in front of a giant clock showing the number of days the hostages have been gone holding a sign reading “The clock is still ticking,” even as she celebrates that her son Matan “is coming home.”
In the center of the square, a man dressed as a caricature of US President Donald Trump sits on a stack of yellow chairs — symbols of the missing hostages — holding Israeli and American flags and taking pictures with smiling passersby.
Source denies Israel and Hamas were in room together, says footage misleading
By Jacob Magid
Egyptian media publishes video appearing to show Israeli and Hamas negotiators in the same room as they finalized a deal ending the war in Gaza, which would represent the breaking of a major taboo.
However, a source present at the talks tells The Times of Israel that the footage is misleading and Israeli and Hamas delegations were not in the same room during the finalization of negotiations in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
According to the source, footage showing the delegations on opposite sides of a large square of tables in a conference center ballroom is actually from two separate shots taken at different times.
Representatives from Israel and the Hamas terror group — mutually sworn to the others’ destruction — have assiduously avoided meeting in person publicly, only negotiating via mediators in a proximity talks format.
Reports cite Palestinians saying living hostages to be exchanged for 1,950 prisoners 72 hours after troops pull back
By Nurit Yohanan and AFP
A top official within Hamas tells AFP that Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 20 living hostages: The figure includes 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 others detained since the start of the war.
The exchange should take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the deal, which was also “agreed with Palestinian factions,” another source within Hamas says.
A Palestinian source tells the Saudi channel Al-Sharq that the release of hostages and of prisoners held by Israel will begin “within 72 hours of the agreement’s implementation.” The outlet cites well-informed sources saying that will take place next week.
Another Saudi channel, Al-Hadath, reports that the 72-hour countdown for the release of hostages will begin after Israeli troops withdraw to agreed-upon lines in Gaza, which will take place once the deal is ratified by Israel.
Earlier, a senior Palestinian source told Qatar’s Al Jazeera that the mediators had accepted Palestinian maps showing an Israeli withdrawal from deep inside Gaza’s cities before the start of the release.
The deal stipulates “scheduled withdrawals” of Israeli troops, the top Hamas official tells AFP, and includes “guarantees from President Trump and the mediators.”
The Palestinian source cited by a-Sharq says that under the agreement, Israeli forces will withdraw from the Rafah crossing and its vicinity, and the deal also includes the transfer of Palestinian patients and wounded to Egypt for treatment and Rafah crossing will be opened in both directions once the agreement goes into effect.
A daily minimum of 400 trucks of aid will enter the Gaza Strip for the first five days of the ceasefire, to be increased in following days, according to the second Hamas source speaking to AFP.
It also provides for the “return of displaced persons from the south of the Gaza Strip to Gaza (City) and the north immediately,” they add.
Turkish involvement, Doha apology convinced Hamas to trust US will hold Israel back — official
By Jacob Magid
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey used the final hours of negotiations before a deal on Gaza was announced to convince Hamas to buy into assurances from the US that it will prevent Israel from resuming the war once the hostages are released, an Arab diplomat says.
The Arab diplomat says that Qatar and Egypt had long been working to convince Hamas to take the US assurance seriously, but the addition of Turkey into the talks proved decisive, the diplomat adds.
Moreover, Qatar’s ability in pushing the US to extract an apology from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over an attempted strike on the terror group’s leaders in Doha last month also went a long way in boosting Qatar’s stature in Hamas eyes, as it weighed whether to place its trust in Trump that he could hold Jerusalem to the terms of the deal, according to the Arab diplomat.
Another issue finalized over the last 24 hours was the exact parameters of Israel’s initial withdrawal from Gaza, including from the Rafah Crossing, the diplomat says.
Hostages Square celebration dampened by downpour
By Ben Sales
People shelter from the rain in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on October 9, 2025. (Ben Sales/Times of Israel)
A small crowd is clustering under tents and awnings as a downpour drenches Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, sending hostage relatives and supporters scrambling for shelter.
Much of the square is empty as those gathered wait out the rain, one of the first showers of the season.
Some hold large yellow umbrellas reading “Now!” in reference to returning the hostages. A woman staffing a table with merchandise, where dozens are taking shelter, says there are no more umbrellas for sale.
“I feel it’s washing away the badness,” Rachel Sinai, who came here from Holon, says of the rain. “Everything will be clean here.”
CLICK HERE to view latest posts on The Times of Israel Live Blog
We will update this post periodically throughout the day during the event