‘With God's help we’ll bring them all home’: Israeli hostages could be released as early as this weekend

“With God's help we will bring them all home,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to his plan to end the Gaza War.

“A great day for Israel,” Netanyahu said in one of several statements released during the night. The Prime Minister said he would convene the government later on Thursday to formally approve the agreement.

If everything goes according to plan, the last 20 living Israeli hostages, out of a total of 48, could be released within the next days.

Trump told Fox News on Thursday that the hostages could return on Monday, “and that will include the bodies of the dead”.

“They are in a terrible situation there. They are deep, deep in the earth. As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed.”

🚨🎥President Trump just spoke with the families of the hostages. “The hostages will come back, they’re all coming back on Monday!” pic.twitter.com/yQvJX31Icx

— Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) October 9, 2025

However, the Times of Israel cited reports that the hostages could be released even before Monday, possibly as early as Saturday, and without the cynical propaganda ceremonies the terror organization set up during past releases.

“I thank the heroic soldiers of the IDF and the entire security apparatus, whose bravery and sacrifice brought us to this day. I thank, from the bottom of my heart, President Trump and his team for their mobilization for the sacred task of releasing our hostages. God willing, we will continue together to achieve all our aims and expand the peace with our neighbours,” Netanyahu said.

The formal signing of the peace agreement is reportedly set for later on Thursday.

Already on Wednesday, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi had invited him to attend the ceremony, but the White House didn’t confirm whether Trump would travel to Egypt.

Hostage families in Washington upon receiving the news of President Trump’s announcement of an agreement that will bring all the hostages home.

Photo credit: Liri Agami and Alon Kaplun pic.twitter.com/5lZOAYcbA9

— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) October 9, 2025

In another overnight statement, Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump on the phone and during “a very emotional and warm conversation, congratulating each other on the historic achievement,” also invited him to address the Israeli Knesset.

He later told media outlets he would probably travel to Israel on Sunday.

“With the approval of the first phase of the plan, all our hostages will be brought home. This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu stated.

“Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point. I thank President Trump for his leadership, his partnership, and his unwavering commitment to the safety of Israel and the freedom of our hostages. God Bless Israel. God Bless America. God Bless our great alliance.”

Amid general jubilation in Israel upon reports of the agreement, President Isaac Herzog announced that “At this moment, the heart of Israel beats as one with the hostages and their families.”

“As the prophet Jeremiah wrote: ‘They shall return from the land of the enemy… and children shall return to their borders’.”

“I give my full support for the agreement reached in Egypt. I express my thanks to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the negotiating team, the mediators, and all those involved in this vital effort.”

Herzog also thanked President Trump for securing the release of the hostages, ending the war, and “creating hope for a new reality in the Middle East. There is no doubt that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for this. Should he visit us in the coming days, he will be received with immense respect, affection, and gratitude by the people of Israel.”

Despite the ecstatic statements from the U.S. and Israel, the full details of the final draft of the agreement have not been released so far.

This includes one particularly sensitive point for Israel, which is the question of Hamas’s disarmament. According to Arab news reports, the agreement doesn’t demand a full disarmament but only a “freezing” of Hamas’s weaponry, without providing further details.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari wrote on X that an agreement was reached “on all the provisions and implementation mechanisms of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid,” promising further information at a later date.

In its official statement, Hamas said “an agreement has been reached to end the war on Gaza, ensure the withdrawal of the occupation, allow the entry of aid, and facilitate a prisoner exchange.”

The group thanked the “brotherly mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey,” and said it valued “President Donald Trump’s efforts.”

“We call upon President Trump, the countries guaranteeing the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the terms of the agreement and not allow it to evade or stall the implementation of what has been agreed upon.”

The terror group also vowed it would never abandon “our people's national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved.”