The countdown to the return of the 48 hostages Hamas has held for more than two years and the end of the brutal war in Gaza will officially begin Thursday morning after Israel’s security cabinet and government meet to approve the deal signed overnight.
Once the government approves the terms of the deal drawn up by Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and American mediators, a ceasefire will take effect after 24 hours.
Hamas will then have 72 hours to release the 20 surviving hostages, along with the 28 deceased, “in one fell swoop and without public ceremonies,” according to the terms quoted by the Israeli news agency TPS-IL.
Hostage families in Washington after receiving news of President Trump’s announcement of an agreement that will bring all hostages home on October 8, 2025. (Liri Agami and Alon Kaplun)
HAMAS ACCEPTS TRUMP PEACE PLAN THAT ENDS TWO YEARS OF WAR IN GAZA, RETURN HOSTAGES
It remains unclear whether Hamas will be able to stick to this time frame after highlighting over the weekend the unlikelihood of it being able to quickly locate all the deceased bodies, some of which are reportedly buried under the rubble.
The Israeli army will begin withdrawing within 24 hours of government approval along a line agreed with Hamas, but will remain in 53% of the Gaza Strip until all hostages, dead and alive, are released.
Jerusalem will also authorize the release of about 1,700 Gazans arrested after the October 2023 attacks, along with about 250 Palestinians serving life sentences, under the first phase of the plan presented by President Donald Trump late last month.
According to TPS-IL, Israeli officials indicated that the prisoners’ release does not include members of Hamas’s Nukhba force, who took part in the October 7 attacks, or the most prominent Hamas commanders who are “symbols of terrorist organizations.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel (right), and US President Donald Trump arrive for a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, September 15, 2020. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
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Some hostages could be released as early as Saturday and preparations are already underway to receive those held in horrific conditions for the past 733 days, often involving starvation, torture and lack of access to medical treatment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the plan and urged his government to approve the details of the deal in a statement on
“Thanks to steadfast determination, strong military action and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this crucial turning point,” he added. “I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership and his continued commitment to Israel’s security and the freedom of our hostages.”
All living hostages are expected to be returned to Israel on Sunday and the return of the deceased will begin on Monday.
A trauma-informed plan has reportedly been devised to help extract the hostages from captivity, and officials are preparing for the fact that the hostages’ physical and mental states in this exchange could be even more precarious and complex than previous returns.
Rooms at the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv and several other locations have already been prepared to receive the hostages and include not only the medical and psychological infrastructure necessary for the victims, but also complete privacy and a homely atmosphere for their stay.
Rooms have been prepared to receive the twenty hostages Hamas has been holding for more than two years at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on October 9, 2025. (Miri Gatnyo, spokesperson for Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv)
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The hostage recovery plan is divided into five phases, based on professional experience and knowledge acquired from previous abductees, and includes preliminary preparations to receive the victims, the initial 24-hour period of stay in the hospital after their release, the necessary amount of time required for their stay in the hospital based on an individual’s needs, a transition phase that can last up to a month, and support in the long term, according to details reported by TPS-IL.
Trump is expected to arrive in Israel on Sunday.
