Israel-Gaza live updates: Trump says Israel and Hamas signed off on 1st phase of peace deal
The group representing families of those held by Hamas since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks said they are receiving the news of the agreement “with excitement, anticipation and apprehension.”
The Families’ Headquarters for the Return of the Abductees said there are 48 hostages still held by Hamas, and 20 of them are still believed to be alive.
People embrace in front of images of the lost and kidnapped at the site of the Nova Festival to mark the 2nd anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, October 7, 2025 in Re’im, Israel.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images
“The Families’ Headquarters welcomes the signing of the agreement designed to return all abductees home – the living for rehabilitation among their families and the fallen for a proper burial in their country,” the statement said. “This is important and significant progress on the path to returning all of them, but our struggle is not over and will not end until the last abductee returns.”
The statement called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to “convene and approve the agreement immediately. Any delay could exact a heavy price from the abductees and the soldiers. We are convinced that the Prime Minister will ensure an absolute majority for the implementation of the agreement reached.”
Hostage families protest for the implementation of a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza and release all hostages, near the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv on Sept. September 29, 2025.
Shir Torem/Reuters
The group expressed “deep gratitude” to President Donald Trump “for the leadership and determination that led to a historic breakthrough: an end to the war and a comprehensive agreement to return all abductees.”