The final terms of a deal between Hamas and Israel, scheduled to be signed at 12:00 PM local time today, October 9th, 2025, will see all living hostages released from Gaza by Monday, October 13th, at the latest, according to N12 News. The agreement also stipulates that deceased hostages will be released later in stages, and specifies that Hamas Nukhba terrorists involved in the October 7th attack will not be among those released. The Israeli President stated that President Trump "deserves the Nobel Peace Prize" for his role in the ongoing developments. Under the agreement, IDF troops are set to withdraw to a designated line within Gaza within 24 hours of the deal's signing, with Israel retaining control over an estimated 53% of Gaza's territory until the final hostage release. Hamas will not hold ceremonies for the hostage release, and the Rafah Crossing will be opened in both directions to facilitate the delivery of 600 trucks of aid into Gaza daily. Reports from this morning confirm that delegations from Hamas and Israel are in the same room, with the agreement expected to be signed imminently. This development follows President Trump's confirmations made between 2:05 AM and 2:35 AM UTC on October 9th, 2025, that all Israeli hostages were expected to be released on Monday, October 13th, 2025. He had assured hostage families of their loved ones' return, a sentiment echoed by news reports and his own statements to Channel 13 and Neria Kraus. The Israeli Army confirmed their forces were continuing to encircle Gaza City during this period, as reported by Al-Arabiya_Breaking. Previous reports indicated that the Israeli Security Cabinet and government were scheduled to convene on October 9th, 2025, at 15:00 UTC and approximately 16:00 UTC respectively, to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal. Mediators had previously announced the finalization of terms for the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement, guaranteed by the U.S., Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. The Israeli Security Cabinet and government were expected to convene to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a deal with Hamas, which was anticipated to lead to the IDF withdrawing to an agreed-upon "yellow line" within Gaza within 24 hours of government approval.
