Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange kicks off in Gaza
Shafaq News – Gaza
A prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, brokered under a plan advanced by US President Donald Trump, began Monday as both sides carried out the first wave of coordinated releases.
Palestinian media reported that the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, handed over seven Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza at 8 a.m., with more expected by 10 a.m., while Israel began releasing hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
بعد عامين من اعتقالهم وفشل الاحتلال في تحريرهم..صورة| من موقع الإفراج عن أسرى الاحتلال في قطاع غزة ضمن صفقة التبادل. pic.twitter.com/en1fCbiL5w
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) October 13, 2025
Under the terms, Hamas will release 20 Israeli hostages for 1,966 Palestinians—250 of whom will be transferred to the West Bank, Jerusalem, and other regions, with the rest freed near Gaza’s Nasser Hospital.
Al-Qassam published the list of 20 Israelis designated for release under what it calls the “Al-Aqsa Flood Prisoner Exchange,” naming: Bar Avraham Kuperstein, Avitar David, Yosef Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkanah Buhbut, Maxime Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Tsengauker, David Kunio, Eitan Horn, Matan Angrist, Eitan Mor, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Alon Ohil, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Rom Braslavsky, and Ariel Kunio.
Buses carrying Palestinian prisoners moved toward the Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) crossing, according to the Palestinian Information Center.
Israeli broadcaster KAN confirmed that the operation will proceed in three stages at pre-arranged sites in Gaza under ICRC supervision.
The exchange follows a ceasefire announced last week, ending two years of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
