Israelis celebrated Monday as rumors spread that 20 live Israeli hostages had been handed over to the Hamas Red Cross and as US President Donald Trump touched down in Israel ahead of his speech at the Knesset.
“Trump comes out victorious, and rightly so,” noted an analyst for Israel Army Radio.
Under the agreement announced by Trump at the White House exactly two weeks ago, Israel released 250 Palestinian terrorism prisoners and loaded them onto buses to await the return of the Israeli hostages.
Israelis react as they watch the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas during a live broadcast in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, October 13, 2025. Hamas released seven living Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip on Monday morning following a US-led agreement late last week. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty)
There is joy in Israel as Hamas released seven living Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip on Monday morning following a US-led deal late last week. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty)
In the Gaza Strip, 20 hostages were released by three separate groups and handed over to the Red Cross and then to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The first seven arrived in Israel; some were able to call their families ahead of time.
President Trump watched episodes of Air Force Once as the control tower at Ben Gurion International Airport thanked him and the United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog greeted him on the tarmac before traveling together to Jerusalem as the hostage rescue began.
President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they sit together in a car after a welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, many of them performing celebratory rituals for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Tradition says that wishes are fulfilled on the sixth day of the holiday, that is, on Monday.
At the Knesset, Israel's parliament, people were given red “Make America Great Again” hats with the words “Trump President of the World.” in accordance with Times of Israel.
This was already one of the happiest days in the history of Israel.
“After two years, there are no Israeli hostages in Gaza,” Army Radio announced as the last of 20 living hostages crossed the country's border as Israelis sang, danced, cried and waited to hear Trump.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News and host. Breitbart News on Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot Sunday nights from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET (4:00 pm to 7:00 pm PT). He is the author The Zionist conspiracy wants you, now available on Amazon. He is the winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Graduate Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
