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(AP)–Hamas released all 20 of the last living hostages on Monday, the Israeli military said, as part of a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the devastated Gaza Strip.
Buses carrying dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners drove to the West Bank city of Ramallah and the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Prisoners Office said, as Israel has released more than 1,900 prisoners.
U.S. President Donald Trump is in the region to discuss postwar plans and the U.S.-proposed deal with other leaders. A surge of humanitarian aid was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless.
While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners marked a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined, with his office saying it was too close to a Jewish holiday.
President Donald Trump waits to greet leaders during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)
Here’s the latest:
No new aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday from Israeli crossings
That’s according to two aid officials, who cited the release of hostages and prisoners as the reason for the halt. Abeer Etefa, spokesperson of the World Food Program, said Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings were closed due to the exchanges.
The closure comes a day after a surge in aid into the Gaza Strip, as stipulated by the ceasefire deal. Nearly 400 trucks entered Sunday into Gaza from Egypt, and humanitarian groups restarted distribution of food.
The Israeli body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza said around 600 trucks will be entering daily soon. All deliveries, including those from Egypt, are first inspected by Israel.
Inside UNICEF’s automated warehouse preparing to surge aid for Gaza
A sprawling warehouse for the United Nations children’s aid organization was operating at “full capacity” on Monday as officials say 1,300 trucks worth of supplies are ready to go into Gaza, with a further 1,000 trucks on the way.
On the outskirts of the Danish capital Copenhagen, the UNICEF warehouse is almost completely automated through a combination of conveyors, robots and a winding monorail. It can produce and ship over 50 different emergency kits that include health, hygiene, and medical supplies, along with winter clothes.
“Our focus is on being able to deliver the supplies directly into children and their families’ hands,” UNICEF senior emergency manager Emma Maspero said. “So we are very much hopeful about the ceasefire and the access to be able to get supplies across the border.”
Red Cross says it facilitated release of 20 hostages to Israel and 1,969 Palestinians
The International Committee of the Red Cross said 1,809 Palestinian detainees went to Gaza and the West Bank.
It did not say where the remaining 160 Palestinians went, but Israel has said many Palestinians who had been serving life sentences would be exiled. The ICRC statement said it conducted “pre-release interviews for all” those released.
Schumer thanks Trump for hostage release
The Senate’s top Democrat thanked Trump and administration officials directly for their work to secure the release of hostages through the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
“Today is a wonderful day. Finally, finally, finally, the last living hostages brutally held by Hamas are home, an immense and overwhelming sigh of relief,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Schumer added: “I commend the enormous advocacy of the tireless hostage families, President Trump, his administration, and all who helped make this moment happen.”
Schumer also stressed that the U.S. remains committed to returning the deceased hostages, including Omer Neutra and Itay Chen, who are Schumer’s constituents.
Bodies of 4 deceased hostages are in Israel
The Israeli military says the bodies are being sent for identification at a forensic institute. Hamas still holds the bodies of 24 deceased hostages, Israel says. It’s unclear when the rest would be sent back.
