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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.

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.

Oct 09, 2025, 5:12 PM EDT

Palestinians will not be 'forced to leave' Gaza, Trump says

President Donald Trump said "nobody is going to be forced to leave" Gaza, clarifying disconnect between the 20-point peace plan and what he told reporters on Thursday.

"It's just the opposite. This is a great plan. This is a great peace plan. This is a plan that was supported by everybody," Trump said.

Earlier Thursday, he said, “you can't live right now in Gaza.”

When asked about the possibility of a Palestinian state, Trump said “we're going to see how it all goes” but that they might consider options that may be “a little bit different.”

“We're going to see how it all goes. And there's a point at which we may do something that would be a little bit different and may be very positive for everybody,” Trump said.

Oct 09, 2025, 3:38 PM EDT

Witkoff, Kushner meet with Israeli president, Netanyahu

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately on Thursday, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The three discussed the framework of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

"President Herzog conveyed his deep appreciation to President Trump, Mr. Kushner, and Mr. Witkoff for their pivotal and historic role in bringing the hostages home, and in advancing Israel’s security, strengthening the well-being of its citizens, and helping to pave a path toward a new era of cooperation in the Middle East," the president's office said in a statement.

The meeting with Netanyahu is currently underway, the sources said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 09, 2025, 3:24 PM EDT

Israeli parliament meeting to ratify ceasefire deal begins

The Israeli government meeting to ratify the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will begin at 10 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. ET.

The deal is expected to be approved between 11 p.m. to midnight local time, 4 to 5 p.m. ET, Thursday.

A cabinet meeting over the deal has ended.

The ceasefire will begin as soon as parliament votes to approve it, according to a copy of the Israeli deal reviewed by ABC News.

When the ceasefire begins, the Israel Defense Forces will have 24 hours to withdraw to the new deployment lines. Once the IDF redeploys, the 72-hour window will open for the release of the 48 hostages.

Israeli officials say all 20 living hostages will be freed on Sunday or Monday in one group. Some of the dead hostages may be returned, but the deal provides for a longer window than 72 hours to find and receive the bodies.

-ABC New's Jordana Miller

Oct 09, 2025, 2:27 PM EDT

Trump declines to talk about phase 2, guarantee Palestinians can stay in Gaza

While President Donald Trump and his team are celebrating the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, including the release of the hostages, he declined on Thursday to discuss what comes next.

Trump repeatedly refused to engage on questions about phase 2 or detail any guarantees to ensure the war does not continue after the hostages are released.

When asked if Palestinians will be able to stay in Gaza, the president would not commit. Instead, he pointed to the conditions, saying, “you can’t live right now in Gaza” and that they will “create better conditions for people,” echoing his previous position earlier this year when he argued Palestinians would have to leave so that Gaza could be rebuilt, raising concerns of ethnic cleansing.

Trump's response appears to run counter to his own 20-point peace plan, which says they will “encourage” people to stay in Gaza.

No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return,” the plan states.

In another seeming break from his own 20-point plan, the president refused to endorse a two-state solution, despite the plan saying “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

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