On October 9, 2025, President Trump said that as part of the first phase agreement of the Gaza 20-point peace plan, it is expected that all Israeli hostages and hostage bodies will be released from Gaza on Monday, October 13.
The President, in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, stated that the most important thing is the release of the hostages. Trump mentioned that the situation of Israeli hostages in Gaza is dire, with them being held in deep and underground locations.
On Wednesday, family members of the hostages met with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington D.C., thanking Trump for facilitating the agreement. “Thank you very much. Take care of yourselves,” Trump said during the conversation with the hostage families on Wednesday night. “The hostages will come back. They will all be back on Monday.”
Israel and Hamas announced on Thursday that both sides have signed the peace agreement, including the release of the hostages. Hamas will release 20 surviving Israeli hostages and 28 hostage bodies. As part of the conditions, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners.
Earlier, Israel carried out strikes against Hamas officials in Qatar without consulting the U.S., which displeased Trump. Subsequently, the U.S. intensified diplomatic efforts to prevent further Gaza conflict and reached this agreement under the leadership of President Trump.
Under Trump’s pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to the 20-point plan proposed by the U.S. to end the war with Hamas. In addition, the President relied on an alliance of Arab, Gulf, and Muslim-majority countries’ leaders to pressure Palestinian organizations to accept the agreement as well.
During the interview with Hannity, Trump mentioned that he had just spoken with Netanyahu earlier that day. “This is great for Israel. I just got off the phone with Netanyahu. He called me,” Trump said. “Everything is going so smoothly, it’s really amazing, it’s a beautiful picture.”
The President stated that it was a combination of factors that ultimately led to the agreement between Israel and Hamas. “I have to say, there was a lot of effort put into this, but there is also an element of luck. You know, you need luck,” Trump added.
Trump expressed that as negotiations continue, he may travel to the Middle East before the weekend.