Israel Welcomes Release of Hostages Held by Hamas

On October 13, 2025, all survivors who had been held by Hamas officially entered Israel. This group includes Elkana Borbot, Avinatan Or, and several others, joining the first seven hostages released earlier that day.

Interestingly, this marks the first time since 2014 that Hamas has not retained any live hostages.

Additionally, Hamas has plans to return the remains of 28 deceased hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack later that same day.

Earlier, around 11:42 PM on October 12, the first group of seven released hostages came back to Israel. According to the Israeli military, these individuals have been reunited with the Israeli army and are on their way to Reims field hospital for medical evaluations and family reunions.

At approximately 10:33 PM, it was confirmed that the seven hostages, who had been held since the attack, were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza. Reports indicate that those freed included Ghali, Ziv Burman, Matan Anrest, and others.

The Red Cross has stated that they will not release images of the hostages during transit out of respect for their dignity and security concerns.

This situation is still developing, and updates are expected.