Monday morning, October 13, 2025, will be past as the minute erstwhile the last Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas returned to their families. “We waited 738 days to say this: They are yet home!” says the authoritative profile of Israel's defence Forces on social media. Is this the end of the war?
The process of releasing 20 hostages began at 7 a.m. (Polish time) and lasted 2 hours. He besides included the handing over of the captured remains who lost their lives in captivity. It is not yet confirmed that all 28 bodies referred to in last week's agreement have already been transmitted; Israeli media and military sources state that any of them have been received by the global Committee of the Red Cross, but not all burial sites are known, which may hold the full implementation of this point of the agreement.
The authoritative account of the head of the Israeli government on X revealed that Benjamin Netanjahu and his wife Sara "added a individual message" to welcome packages for returning hostages. “The packages included clothes and individual equipment, laptop, mobile telephone and tablet”, reported the office of the head of government. “In the name of the full nation of Israel, welcome back! We were waiting for you. We're squeezing you. Sara and Benjamin Netanjahu” – this is the message to be heard.
W Gaza has begun to fight for power
Within agreements Israel began releasing 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 detainees after The outbreak of war. However, not everyone will return home. any of them, peculiarly those in Gaza, are to be subject to global supervision and settled in buffer zones. Others will go to Jordan, Qatar or Turkey. Hamas demands the full return of all the freed, but Tel Aviv does not intend to step down.
In Gaza, reactions are extreme. On the 1 hand, relief due to ceasefire. On the another hand – expanding interior tensions. On the weekend, there were violent clashes between Hamas forces and the Dugmus clan. At least 27 people died, including 8 Hamas members and 19 clan representatives. Hamas sent over 7,000 officers to town to regain control of areas abandoned by Israeli troops. This shows that the organization is not going to quit power without a fight – even if it means confronting another Palestinian factions.
According to the peace plan, Israeli troops were to retreat within 24 hours to an agreed line within the Gaza Strip. According to data from Friday and Saturday, the army left the vicinity of Gaza and Chan Junus, reducing the controlled area from 75 to 53 percent of the territory. However, this does not mean full withdrawal. Israel maintains its presence at strategical points in confederate Gaza, and Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that "the sword is inactive hanging over Hamas' neck". If the organization does not disarm voluntarily, the offensive may be resumed.
Between hope and distrust
President of the United States Donald Trump He flew to Israel this morning, met with the leaders of the state and gave a speech at Kneset. "It's a beautiful, wonderful day. A fresh beginning," he wrote in the memorial book. In his speech he said: “The war is over. We have quite a few verbal guarantees, but as far as I'm concerned, it's over.” Trump's peace plan includes the disarmament of Hamas, the transfer of power to the Palestinian Interim Administration and the reconstruction of Gaza under global supervision. The full is to be managed by a Council of Peace composed of representatives of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, the European Union and the United Nations.
International reactions are mixed. The EU announced the reopening of the border crossing mission with Egypt. Germany and France have declared assistance in the reconstruction of Gaza. Italy and Turkey have offered to participate in the peacekeeping mission. Egypt and Qatar organize a peace summit in Sharm el-Sheik – Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to participate in it. But skepticism is not lacking. Human rights organizations are alarming about violent scenes under Ofer prison, where Israeli forces utilized teardrop gas against Palestinians awaiting the release of loved ones. The UN calls for full respect of the truce and unhindered access to humanitarian aid.
Will it be the beginning of lasting peace on October 13, 2025? Will Trump’s plan gain real support from the Israeli and Hamas authorities? For now, the mediate East balances between hope and distrust.