Headline Roundup • October 14th, 2025
Hamas Releases 20 Remaining Hostages, Israel Releases 1,900 Prisoners
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Hamas released all 20 remaining hostages back to Israel on Monday as part of the ceasefire agreement. Israel released approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisons.
The Details: Hamas released the 20 remaining living hostages to the Red Cross accompanied by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) early Monday morning. They spent 738 days in captivity after being kidnapped on October 7, 2023. As part of the first phase of the ceasefire arrangement, Israel also released about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. 1,700 of these prisoners were seized from Gaza and were being held without charges.
For Context: President Donald Trump announced, “The war is over,” as he flew to Israel to meet with the hostages and speak with Israeli leaders. However, questions remain about the future of the region, including the possibility of a future Palestinian state, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly opposes.
How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the political spectrum framed the release positively and emphasized the joyous reunion of the hostages with their families. Fox News (Right bias) highlighted several of the hostages' reunions with their families and included quotes from Trump’s speech to Israeli officials, but did not mention the Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel. The Hill (Center) noted that despite Trump’s comments about the end of the war, “experts and some members of his own administration have cautioned that it is merely Phase 1 of a peace deal that requires both Hamas and Israel to hold up their sides of the arrangement.” Associated Press (Left) noted that more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war and that Israel has faced “allegations of genocide,” which it has denied.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti
All 20 living hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel walked free Monday as part of a ceasefire pausing two years of war that decimated the Gaza Strip and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Hamas said Monday it will hand over the bodies of four of 28 deceased captives, though it was not immediately clear when the rest would be released. Israel said it freed more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Hamas on Monday released all 20 living hostages still being held since the October 2023 attacks in Israel, marking a major milestone in the first phase of a Middle East peace deal to end the fighting in Gaza.
Israeli officials confirmed Hamas had transferred all 20 remaining hostages to the custody of the Red Cross. Seven were released initially, followed by 13 others. The hostages were accompanied by the Israeli military and were set to undergo medical assessments.
Following Hamas' release of all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, pictures and videos are pouring in of their families' reunifications.
The hostages have arrived back in Israel, where they will undergo medical checks after 738 days in captivity. Their release was part of a deal aimed at ending two years of war.
When Guy Gilboa-Dalal met his family at the initial reception point following his release, his family shouted and hugged him so tightly they were hanging off of him as they went into another room....
AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
Vance Talks With Iran in Switzerland, Iran Says It Closed Hormuz Over Israel's Lebanon Campaign
June 21st, 2026
.png)
