Hamas has released all living hostages held in Gaza with 20 people returning to Israel meanwhile 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza including 22 children will be released
All 20 living hostages who had been held by Hamas are now being returned to Israel after more than two years in captivity.
As of Monday, 48 hostages were still being held in Gaza, with 20 of those believed to still be alive. Hamas seized all but one of the hostages being returned today in the attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 which saw 251 people abducted and 1,200 killed.
In response Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza which has killed more than 67,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
As part of today’s deal, orchestrated by the US president and his team, 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, including 22 children, are also expected to be released in the coming hours.
Today the release of the hostages marks a beacon of hope for peace in the region as Donald Trump arrived in Israel to address the Israeli parliament and meet families of hostages.
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Who are the hostages being released?
Rom Braslabski , 21, was working on security at the Nova music festival. He was trying to rescue someone who was injured in the Hamas attack on the festival on October 7 when he was caught in gunfire, the Missing Families Forum said. He was seen in a video posed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in August 2025 saying he had run out of food and water.
Eitan Horn , 38, an Israeli-Argentine dual national was captured along with his elder brother Yair who was freed in February 2025 during the last ceasefire. In a video released by Hamas at the time Eitan and Yair can be seen hugging ahead of Yair’s release.
Bar Kupershtein , 23, was working at the Nova music festival and was helping to treat casualties before he went missing. He was later identified in a video of hostages, nothing more was heard by his family until he was spotted in another hostage video in April 2025.
Omri Miran , 48, was at his home in Nahal OZ when he was abducted, he was driven away in his own car, his wife Lishay said, leaving her and his two young daughters behind with no word of him until Hamas released a video showing Omri marking his 48th birthday in April 2025.
The 28-year-old twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with their neighbour, Emily Damari. Emily, who was released in January 2025 during the last ceasefire, described how they had been held together for 40 days before being separated, meanwhile other hostages released in early 2025 confirmed that Gali and Ziv were still alive, their family has said.
Eitan Mor , 25, saved dozens of people, his father said, as he worked as a security guard during the horror attack on the music festival. A released hostage told his family that Eitam had acted as a “spokesman to the captors” and “lifted everyone’s spirits,” they said.
David Cunio , 35, was kidnapped in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October. His wife Sharon Aloni Cunio and their then-three-year-old twin daughters Ema and Yuly were among the 105 hostages released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.
Ariel Cunio , 28, David’s brother was also kidnapped from Nir Oz. His partner Arbel Yehud, was freed in January 2025 during the two-month ceasefire which saw Hamas hand over 25 living and eight dead hostages.
Nimrod Cohen , 21, was a soldier in the IDF whose tank was attacked by Hamas at Nahal Oz. His family said that they were told by another hostage released in February that while he was still alive, he was in poor physical and mental shape.
Segev Kalfon , 27, was fleeing the attack on the Nova music festival with a friend when Hamas gunmen took him hostage. A released hostage described how they had been held captive with four other men in a tunnel in “terrible conditions”.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal , 24, was attending the music festival with his brother Gal who said the pair last saw each other moments before Hamas launched its first barrage of rockets into Israel heralding the start of the attack. Gal managed to evade the gunmen but Guy was kidnapped, he was last seen in a Hamas video showing him being driven around Gaza City in late August.
Avinatan Or , 32, was kidnapped with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, at the festival but they were separated by their captors. She was rescued by an IDF operation in Gaza in 2024. His family said they had received a sign that he was still alive in March 2025.
Evyatar David , 24, texted his family from the music festival on the morning of the attacks to say “they are bombarding the party”. Later his family say they received a video from an unknown number showing Evyatar handcuffed on the floor of a dark room. Footage released of Evyatar in August 2025 caused his brother Ilay to compare him to a “human skeleton”.
Maxim Herkin , 37, is an Israel-Russian dual national who went to the music festival on a last-minute invite. His two friends were among the 279 people who died in the attack. He appeared in an April 2025 Hamas video and another a month later where he looked injured, his captors said this was due to an Israeli air strike.
Matan Angrest , 22, was serving in the IDF when the tank he was in was attacked on October 7 near the perimeter fence. Footage from the time shows a crowd dragging him unconscious from the vehicle. Released hostages told his family earlier this year he was suffering from chronic asthma, untreated burns and infections.
Yosef-Chaim Ohana , 25, had been attending the Nova music festival with a friend who said they had remained to help people escape the gunfire before running themselves. Yosef was seen in a May 2025 Hamas video with another hostage, Elkana Bohbot.
Matan Zangauker , 25, was taken from Nir Oz with his partner Ilana Gritzewsky, Ilana was released during the November 2023 ceasefire. In a December 2024 video released by Hamas Matan said he and his fellow hostages were suffering from skin ailments, shortages of food, water and medicine.
Alon Ohel , 24, holds Israeli, German and Serbian citizenship. In a clip released by Hamas he is shown being taken away as a hostage from the music festival. He wasn’t seen again until he appeared in an August 2025 video alongside Guy Gilboa-Dalal.