By Lucia Suarez Sang
Updated on: October 13, 2025 / 6:44 AM EDT / CBS News
CBS News — What to know about hostage release and Gaza ceasefire:
- Hamas has released all 20 of the remaining living Israeli hostages, who are now being reunited with their families in Israel, as part of President Trump’s peace plan to end the war in Gaza.
- President Trump arrived in Israel on Monday and was greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the airport as the hostage transfers continued. Mr. Trump is due to address the Israeli Knesset soon.
- Israel is expected to release some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, of whom 250 are serving life sentences and about 1,700 others who have been detained since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, in exchange for the release of the Israeli hostages.
- A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect at noon local time on Friday and Israel completed a pullback of its military troops to a pre-approved line in the Palestinian territory.
- Aid began flowing back into Gaza as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to northern Gaza, many returning to homes reduced to rubble.
Netanyahu defends his record on Gaza war: “Israel did what it had to do”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his record over the past two years of war in the Gaza Strip as he addressed Israeli lawmakers beside President Trump on Monday.
“In response to this barbaric attack on October 7th, Israel did what it had to do. With indomitable courage, we set out to defend our people, to defeat our enemies, and to release our hostages. Our heroic soldiers fought like lions,” Netanyahu said.
“Israel achieved amazing victories over Hamas and the entire Iran terror axis. Sinwar, Haniyeh, Nasrallah, Assad, they’re all gone,” he said, referring to slain leaders of Hamas and its ally, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, as well as the longtime former leader of Syria.
- https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/israel-hamas-peace-deal-live-updates-hostages-trump-knesset-egypt/#post-update-6fdbcdc5 link copied
Netanyahu thanks Trump for “pivotal leadership”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium in the Knesset on Monday, delivering some remarks in English to thank President Trump for his support for Israel over the years.
“Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House,” Netanyahu said to applause.
Netanyahu praised what he called Mr. Trump’s “pivotal leadership” in brokering the Gaza peace deal.
“Mr. President, you are committed to this peace, I am committed to this peace, and together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace,” Netanyahu said.
