Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced that the Palestinian group Hamas will release all Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip on October 13. This announcement follows a phone conversation between Trump and the families of the Israeli hostages, during which the President shared the news of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

According to Anadolu Agency, the relatives of the hostages expressed their gratitude to President Trump for his efforts in facilitating the agreement. During the call, Trump confirmed that all Israeli hostages would be released on the specified date, though he did not clarify if this would include the bodies of deceased hostages.

Earlier, President Trump revealed that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a US-proposed deal concerning Gaza. The 20-point plan, initially announced on September 29, outlines the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the implementation of a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israeli military actions have resulted in the deaths of nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, with the majority being women and children. The continuous bombardment has rendered Gaza largely uninhabitable, causing severe shortages of food and leading to widespread disease.