President Donald Trump, en route to Israel, declared the agreement for the war in Gaza and the release of hostages as his greatest political achievement in an interview with "Ir Forsh 1" early on October 13th, 2025. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the return of hostages as a "historic event" and urged national unity. Red Cross vehicles were observed near Ofer Prison, signaling the impending prisoner exchange. In the past hour, Red Cross vehicles were seen at the entrance to Ofer Prison, according to Amichai Stein. Trump stated his message to the Israeli people in his Knesset speech would be "Hello and love forever." The Palestinian Security Forces spokesperson, Anwar Rajab, told Al-Arabiya that Hamas aims to impose control over Gaza to signal instability without its presence and is preparing for a civil war. Hamas was expected to begin releasing hostages on October 13th, 2025, with a second group following approximately one hour later, according to Aviva Klompas in previous reports. Families were instructed to arrive at the Reāim base by 7:30 AM. A total of 250 Palestinian prisoners were slated for release by Israel, including 115 to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and 135 to Gaza or third countries, along with 1,722 Palestinians arrested after October 7th and 360 bodies of terrorists. President Trump was scheduled to land in Israel shortly after 9 AM local time on October 13th, 2025, to address the Knesset and meet former hostages before proceeding to Egypt. The hostage release operations involved Hamas dividing captives into groups for handover to the Red Cross and then to IDF forces, with freed hostages receiving medical checks at Reāim base. The IDF also anticipated operations to retrieve remains under rubble, as previously reported. Preparations for returning Israeli hostages included clothing, personal equipment, toiletries, a laptop, a mobile phone, a tablet, and headphones. Clashes were reported within Gaza City, with Qassam forces deployed in the Sabra neighborhood and escalating attacks against the Dughmush family. The Nassar family had also declared their entry into fighting following the assassination of Wael bin Maher Nassar. Previous reports indicated Hamas had begun moving hostages and that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the U.S. and Israel, had temporarily closed food distribution sites as part of prisoner transfer protocols, with a spokesperson calling them "tactical changes."
