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Israel-Gaza live updates: Hamas publishes names of 20 living Israeli hostages to be released

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Friday.

ByDavid Brennan, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: October 13, 2025, 12:42 AM EDT

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that both Israel and Hamas had "signed off" on the first phase of a peace plan in Gaza following negotiations in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh. A ceasefire then came into effect on Friday.

Phase one of the deal will see all remaining hostages returned from Gaza, a number of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails and the partial withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces inside the strip.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 08, 2025, 10:36 AM EDT

Egyptian president invites Trump to attend potential signing of agreement

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has invited President Donald Trump to attend the signing of a potential Gaza peace agreement once it is reached, a move that may signal progress in ongoing negotiations.

Sisi made his remarks during a televised address at a police academy in Cairo, adding that special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived late Tuesday evening.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaks during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister following their meeting as part of a visit in Athens on May 7, 2025.
Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images
Oct 08, 2025, 7:01 AM EDT

Lead Israeli negotiator arrives in Egypt

Ron Dermer, Israel’s lead negotiator and one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest advisers, has arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for indirect ceasefire talks, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

A vehicle passes in front of the International Conference Center where Israeli and Hamas officials are set to hold indirect talks, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
AP

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti 

Oct 08, 2025, 6:45 AM EDT

US officials expected to join indirect talks in Egypt

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, and Jared Kushner were scheduled land in Egypt on Wednesday to join talks aimed at finalizing a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, according to an official familiar with their travel plans.

The pair were expected to depart for the Middle East on Tuesday, the official said.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, right, and Jared Kushner arrive before President Donald Trump holds a news conference at the White House, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP

Another official said that Witkoff and Kushner have been closely following the progress of the talks from afar and frequently communicating with mediators. Those indirect talks began on Monday.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said, "We are very close to making a deal on the Middle East that will bring peace."

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston and Joe Simonetti

Oct 07, 2025, 2:24 PM EDT

Qatari prime minister to join peace talks on Wednesday

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will head to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to join the ongoing peace negotiations on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.

Al Thani’s participation "comes at a critical stage of the talks, reaffirming the determination of the mediators to reach an agreement that would bring an end to the catastrophic war in the Gaza Strip," the spokesperson said in the post.

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