Israeli military vehicles gathered near the Gaza border as a cease-fire is in effect between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, on Oct. 12, 2025. (Credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
Israel is “ready to immediately receive all” hostages still held by Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, according to a statement from his office.
An agreement reached on Thursday provides for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees in exchange for the return to Israel of 48 hostages held in Gaza, including 47 (27 of whom are deceased) abducted during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
Hamas has informed Israel that it holds 20 Israeli hostages alive and is ready to begin their release as early as Sunday, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The message, conveyed to Israel through Arab mediators, marks the first time the movement has confirmed holding 20 Israeli captives alive.
The Israeli army said it is preparing to receive the hostages as early as Sunday evening but expects the handover to take place on Monday, the day President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Israel and Egypt, according to an Israeli official.
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