Seven Israeli hostages were transferred to the Red Cross in Gaza on Monday, October 13, the first group of what is expected to be 20 survivors, according to the Israeli military and security service.

“According to information provided by the Red Cross, seven hostages have been transferred into their custody, and are on their way to IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said. “The IDF is prepared to receive additional hostages who are expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later on.”

The Israeli foreign ministry identified the released captives as Guy Gilboa Dalal, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Gali and Ziv Berman and Omri Miran in a post on X. “We’ve been waiting 738 days to say this: Welcome home.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the release of seven hostages and said that Israel is awaiting the release of all remaining captives. “With thanks to God we welcome our loved ones. We are waiting for everyone – every last one,” Herzog posted on X after the Israeli army confirmed it had received the first group of seven hostages released from Gaza.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the release of Israeli hostages, saying with their release “peace becomes possible for Israel, for Gaza, and for the region.” “I share the joy of the families and of the Israeli people as seven hostages have just been handed over to the Red Cross,” Macron wrote on X after arriving in Egypt for a summit on Gaza.

An Israeli hostages campaign group said it would continue its work to secure the return of all hostages held in Gaza. “Our struggle is not over. It will not end until the last hostage is located and returned for proper burial. This is our moral obligation. Only then will the people of Israel be whole,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, in a statement.

Trump’s lightning visit

Hamas was set to release all surviving hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel on Monday, as US President Donald Trump headed to the region for a peace summit having declared the war “over.”

Trump’s lightning visit to Israel and Egypt aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week’s ceasefire and hostage release deal – but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next. Under the US president’s proposed roadmap, once the Palestinian militants have handed over the surviving hostages, Israel will begin releasing around 2,000 detainees in exchange.

Israel expects all 20 living hostages to be released to the Red Cross “early Monday morning,” according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Israel does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on Monday. Under the plan, Hamas is to release all the remaining 47 hostages – living and deceased – who were abducted on October 7, 2023, during its attack on Israel that left 1,219 people dead, most of them civilians. Hamas is also expected to hand over the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza war.

Among the Palestinian prisoners to be released, 250 are security detainees, including many convicted of killing Israelis, while about 1,700 were detained by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.