{"id":5002,"date":"2025-10-24T11:46:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T09:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/alla-levande-i-gisslan-slappta-ar-det-fred-nu\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T16:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T15:18:10","slug":"all-living-hostages-released-what-happens-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/all-living-hostages-released-what-happens-now\/","title":{"rendered":"All living hostages released \u2013 what happens now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

20 living hostages were released at the same time as hundreds of terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment\u2014who had received millions during their time in prison\u2014were freed.\u00a0 <\/span>Egypt, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, countries which previously occupied Gaza, are now to play a role in Gaza\u2019s future, while Hamas breaks the agreement to return the bodies of deceased hostages, executes any opposition, and refuses to relinquish power.<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

On October 13, 2025, the terrorist group Hamas released the last 20 living hostages after more than two years in captivity. On the same day, a \u201cpeace agreement\u201d was signed in Sharm el-Sheikh with around thirty countries in attendance \u2014 including Turkey, France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Qatar \u2014 and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in Israel\u2019s parliament, the Knesset.<\/p>\n

The background to this development was that Trump and the White House had presented a plan in early October to end the war in Gaza:\u201cGaza will be a de-radicalized, terror-free zone that poses no threat to its neighbors,\u201d
\nthe plan began, stipulating that Hamas and other factions would have no role in Gaza\u2019s leadership, directly, indirectly, or in any other form.
\n\u201cAll military, terror-oriented, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt,\u201d
\nthe agreement stated.<\/p>\n

Israeli forces withdrew to prepare for the release of the hostages, and a few days after Israel accepted the agreement, all living hostages were handed over in exchange for 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

The Palestinian Authority has paid $70 million to the terrorists released under the hostage deal, according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)<\/i>. 160 of the 250 freed terrorists who were serving at least one life sentence for murder are now millionaires thanks to the PA\u2019s \u201cPay for Slay\u201d program. Together, they have received at least 229.5 million shekels ($70 million), according to PMW<\/i>. The remaining 90 have also received significant sums.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hamas refuses to give up<\/strong><\/p>\n

A week after the Gaza peace plan came into force, Hamas had handed over the remains of 13 of the deceased hostages, while at least 15 bodies were still missing. One of the bodies released to Israel did not belong to a hostage.<\/p>\n

The U.S. plan states that those who wish to remain in Gaza may do so, and that an i<\/b>nternational stabilization force will be deployed there. This force will train and support carefully checked Palestinian police forces in Gaza. The peace plan is signed in pursuit of Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which is recognized by the U.S. as \u201cthe aspiration of the Palestinian people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The terrorist group Hamas rejects the U.S. proposal that it should have no role in Gaza\u2019s future, arguing instead that Gaza\u2019s future \u201cwill be discussed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will participate.\u201d Hamas has simultaneously executed opposition Palestinians who in different ways has attempted to resist.<\/p>\n

Turkey has also become a key player in Gaza\u2019s future\u2014with Trump\u2019s support. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan defends Hamas, has compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler, and has accused Israel of genocide, while continuing to deny the 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
\nOnur Uraz, a Turkish researcher at the state university in Ankara who claims that the 1915 genocide of 1.5 million people was a Western fabrication, told TIME Magazine<\/i> in September that Israel had committed genocide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Turkey\u2019s role controversial<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the \u201cpeace agreement\u201d signed by Erdo\u011fan in Sharm el-Sheikh, Turkey is to take part in the international task force helping to locate the remains of hostages held in Gaza. Erdo\u011fan had threatened to cancel his attendance and return home if Netanyahu appeared at the summit.<\/p>\n

Despite Erdo\u011fan\u2019s open support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Turkey has gained a foothold in Gaza \u2014 something Ankara has long sought \u2014 even though Israel had opposed Turkish involvement in Gaza\u2019s future. Israel has tried to limit Turkey\u2019s influence in southern Syria, but now Hamas\u2019s legitimacy in Gaza is strengthened as Turkey calls for increased pressure on Israel instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cErdo\u011fan has dreamed of a role in Gaza since October 7,\u201d said Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss to Ynet News<\/i> in mid-October. Lindenstrauss, a senior researcher at Israel\u2019s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), pointed to Turkey\u2019s Ministry of Defense, which stated in mid-October: \u201cOur forces, which are experienced in creating and maintaining peace, are ready for any mission assigned to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lindenstrauss, it will become increasingly difficult to marginalize Hamas as Turkey and Qatar become more involved. \u201cTurkey is siding with Hamas. The idea of Turkish troops in Gaza is deeply concerning \u2014 what happens if Israel accidentally attacks them? Tensions are already high enough,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Netanyahu has, at the time of writing, opposed Turkey’s inclusion in the international stabilization force in Gaza.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Three occupying powers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fact that Egypt, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, through Tony Blair, are now to be involved in Gaza\u2019s administration means that three former occupying powers are regaining historical influence over the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan\u2019s participation in the peace agreement, highlighting a prayer on March 30, 2025, in which Erdo\u011fan prayed that \u201cZionist Israel\u201d would be \u201cdestroyed and annihilated,\u201d and accused the Turkish leader of constantly trying to undermine the Jewish people\u2019s historical ties to Jerusalem. Chikli described Erdo\u011fan as \u201ca sworn enemy of Israel and the West, a jihadist in a suit,\u201d
\nand pointed to previous statements by the Turkish leader claiming a special Turkish claim to Jerusalem based on the Ottoman Empire\u2019s former occupation of the area.<\/p>\n

On October 1, 2020, Erdo\u011fan told Turkey\u2019s parliament: \u201cJerusalem is our city\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

20 living hostages were released at the same time as hundreds of terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment\u2014who had received millions during their time in prison\u2014were freed.\u00a0 Egypt, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, countries which previously occupied Gaza, are now to play a role in Gaza\u2019s future, while Hamas breaks the agreement to return the bodies of deceased hostages, executes any opposition, and refuses to relinquish power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5002"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5051,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5002\/revisions\/5051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.israelreport.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}