World leaders sign Gaza deal after Israel-Hamas prisoner swap: As it happened
The 20 remaining hostages in Gaza have been returned to Israel on Monday after two years of war. In return, West Jerusalem released 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza that had been held since Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Emotional scenes unfolded as the freed hostages reunited with their families in hospitals across Israel and as released Palestinian detainees met with their relatives in the West Bank and arrived in buses to large crowds in Gaza.
As part of the agreement, the Palestinian militant group also handed over to the Red Cross four coffins with the remains of deceased hostages. The Israeli organization “Forum for Hostages and Relatives of the Disappeared,” however, called for “an immediate suspension of the agreement” until the remaining 24 bodies of hostages who died in captivity are returned to Israel from Gaza.
The return of all hostages, living or dead, by Monday afternoon was the main condition of the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza. The militants, however, claim they did not have enough time to find the bodies of all the deceased hostages.
Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump visited Israel and declared “the historic dawn of the new Middle East” in an address before the Knesset. He told the lawmakers that Israel had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace in the Middle East.
He delivered the same message to an assembly of other world leaders after signing the Gaza ceasefire deal at a summit in Egypt.
A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and about 200 were taken captive. In Gaza, at least 67,869 people have been killed since then, according to local health authorities.
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13 October 2025
18:20 GMTTrump has closed his remarks in Sharm el-Sheikh alongside various world leaders who gathered for the ceasefire deal signing. He emphasized the historic nature of the agreement and unity in this moment.
“This is the first time the Middle East crisis has brought people together, as opposed to driving them apart, and to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of the generations past, which is foolish. So together, let us continue in the spirit of cooperation and goodwill that has finally brought us to this incredible, historic breakthrough.”
After finishing his speech, Trump met privately for “a little conversation” with the gathered leaders.
- 17:13 GMT
Trump has hailed a newly signed agreement between Israel and Hamas as a historic breakthrough, announcing the return of hostages and ongoing efforts to recover the remains of others.
“With the historic agreement we’ve just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered. As you know, the hostages have been returned and further work goes on having to do with the, sadly to say, bodies.”
- 16:19 GMT
Trump has individually greeted roughly 35 foreign leaders who have arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh for a conference on Gaza.
One by one, each leader, standing above large letters that read, “Peace 2025,” approaches Trump, shakes his hand, and exchanges a few brief remarks while posing for a photo before being whisked out of the room.
The leaders include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in what is his first meeting and conversation with Trump since the latter’s return to the Oval Office.
Netanyahu refused to attend at the last minute, citing the Simhat Torah holiday, which begins tonight.
- 15:05 GMT
Trump has arrived in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh for a deal-signing ceremony that is being attended by a number of other world leaders.
Air Force One was escorted into the area by Egyptian fighter jets.
Sharm el-Sheikh is where representatives from Israel, Hamas, and the United States met last week to finalize the Gaza ceasefire deal.
- 14:31 GMT
Netanyahu hopes sending more humanitarian aid to Gaza will lessen the international criticism of Israel for causing starvation in the enclave and make the international organizations dealing with aid irrelevant, Dr. Alon Liel has told RT.
Dr. Alon Liel: Netanyahu hopes sending more humanitarian aid to Gaza will:▪️lower intl criticism on causing starvation ▪️strengthen Israeli control on Gaza'Israel sees own efforts to bring more food to Gaza as attempt to occupy Gaza Strip' pic.twitter.com/wYedQwQmXK
— RT (@RT_com) October 13, 2025 - 14:31 GMT
The Red Cross is en route to receive the bodies of four Israeli hostages in southern Gaza, the IDF has said.
The Red Cross will later bring the caskets to IDF troops inside Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held in their memory. The caskets will also be examined by sappers “for security purposes,” according to the military.
- 13:56 GMT
The Al-Qassam Brigades has said it will hand over the bodies of four captives today. It identified the deceased captives as Guy Ilouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, and Daniel Perez.
Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza earlier, but it is still holding the remains of a number of dead Israeli captives.
- 13:29 GMT
Trump is now departing Ben Gurion Airport and heading to Egypt for a global leaders summit on Gaza.
- 13:29 GMT
The Palestinian prisoners being released are likely to be in “horrific” condition because Palestinians in Israeli jails are subjected to the most “brutal and violent torture,” Al Jazeera has claimed, citing academic Basil Farraj.
”We know that since October 7 [2023], while torture and violence will have been systematically practiced inside Israeli prisons, these prisoners have been subjected to a brutal campaign,” Farraj said.
”They have been brutally beaten, tortured, and violated. We’ve witnessed and heard stories of sexual violence.”
Farraj says the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will continue and the release of the detainees “does not mean the end of the struggle” of others who remain in Israeli prisons.
- 12:55 GMT
Trump has concluded his 65-minute-long speech to Israel’s parliament, saying that “we’re going to build a legacy that all the people of this region can be proud of.”
“So now we’re going to forge a future that is worthy of our heritage. We’re going to build a legacy that all the people of this region can be proud of,” he added.
“I love Israel. I’m with you all the way.” —President Donald J. Trump in Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/eneibuMNDU
— Yoram Hazony (@yhazony) October 13, 2025
