All news on the topic: Hostages

Israel will establish a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian militants who took part in the October 7 attack on the country.

Media investigations have revealed that the father of basketball player and alleged hacker Daniil Kasatkin — recently exchanged by Russia for French journalist Laurent Vinatier — spent years working at the highly classified Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, resigning only in 2022.

Hamas has handed over the remains of three people to Israel, but Israel says they do not belong to any of the hostages.

Late Thursday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the remains were those of Sahar Baruch and Amiram Cooper, who were both captured during the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack that sparked the conflict.

Hamas announced it has handed over all the remains of hostages it currently has access to, saying that retrieving additional bodies in Gaza would require “significant efforts and specialized equipment.”

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he might allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restart military operations in Gaza if Hamas fails to honor its side of the ceasefire agreement, adding that Israeli forces could return to the streets “as soon as I give the word.”

The Israeli prison service announced on Monday, October 13, that it had released nearly 2,000 detainees, primarily Palestinians, as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Donald Trump is on his way to Israel and Egypt to oversee the crucial hours of a Gaza ceasefire he helped broker, as relatives of hostages "held their breath" ahead of their expected release.

Authorities in Israel and Gaza are preparing for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners ahead of a Monday deadline for the swap stipulated in the ceasefire deal, which could end the two-year war in Gaza.

Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has reassured the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza that they will soon be reunited with their families, saying that "miracles can happen", as the country prepares for a momentous reunion.

The ceasefire in Gaza has officially come into effect, Israel’s military has said.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the initial phase of a ceasefire plan in Gaza, pausing hostilities in the devastated territory and bringing the best hope yet of a definitive end to a bloody two-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands, destabilised much of the Middle East and prompted protests around the world.

Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a "historic" Gaza peace deal that will see both sides stop fighting and begin releasing hostages and prisoners.

The US President wrote on Truth Social: "I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST. I will continue to monitor this centuries-old conflict.’

Israel and Hamas are preparing for indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday, as hopes build for a possible ceasefire in Gaza after Benjamin Netanyahu said a hostage release could be announced "in the coming days".

Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed Donald Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza and called on Hamas to agree to it.

Former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair is set to be part of an interim authority in Gaza, according to Donald Trump’s peace plan.