Updates: After Israel-Hamas prisoner swap, world leaders sign Gaza deal

For five takeaways from Trump’s comments in Israel and Egypt today, read here.

For details on the Palestinian detainees released in today’s exchange, check out this story.

And for all of our coverage of the ceasefire after two years of Israel’s war on Gaza, go here.

This live page will be closing soon. Here are the day’s major developments:

• Hamas released all 20 Israeli captives it held in Gaza, while Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees under the terms of the ceasefire deal.
• US President Trump took a whirlwind tour to Israel and Egypt, addressing the Israeli Knesset and then co-chairing a Gaza peace summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
• Speaking to a host of world leaders at the gathering in Egypt, Trump said the “war is over” and hailed “a tremendous day for the Middle East”.
• Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar also signed a document as guarantors to the Gaza deal, which the US president said spells out “rules and regulations” for the ceasefire.
• A senior United Nations official said that more life-saving assistance – including tents, meat, flour and medicine – is being funnelled into war-ravaged Gaza.

Former US President Bill Clinton, who once hosted the signing of the historic Oslo Accords, has said he is “grateful” for the ceasefire in Gaza, an agreement he says Trump and mediator Qatar deserved credit for.

“Now Israel and Hamas – with the support of the United States, the region, and the world – must try to turn this fragile moment into lasting peace that provides for the dignity and security of both Palestinians and Israelis,” he said in a statement.

My statement on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas: pic.twitter.com/lN0xQxGHfT

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) October 13, 2025

Here are more details of what is covered in the US declaration:

• The document was signed by the four countries that have acted as mediators in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and they commit to “the resolution of future disputes through diplomatic engagement and negotiation rather than through force or protracted conflict”.
• The declaration includes several references to economic prosperity, and the importance of protecting the “fundamental human rights” of “both Palestinians and Israelis”.
• It recognises that the Middle East has “deep historical and spiritual significance” to faith communities, including people from Christian, Muslim and Jewish backgrounds.
• “Respect for these sacred connections and the protection of their heritage sites shall remain paramount in our commitment to peaceful coexistence,” it says.
• “No society can flourish when violence and racism is normalised or when radical ideologies threaten the fabric of civil life.”

Despite the carnage in Gaza, United States President Donald Trump has received a hero’s welcome across the Middle East as he visited Israel and Egypt to celebrate the ceasefire deal.

Throughout the trip, Trump expressed joy and took personal credit for ending Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians in a campaign that leading rights advocates have described as a genocide.

Here are key takeaways from Trump’s remarks.

The White House has shared the wording of the Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity, which was signed by the leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye.

The declaration says the leaders “welcome the truly historic commitment and implementation by all parties to the Trump Peace Agreement, ending more than two years of profound suffering and loss”.

“Together, we will implement this agreement in a manner that ensures peace, security, stability, and opportunity for all peoples of the region, including both Palestinians and Israelis,” the declaration adds.

The document was signed by Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny…. We commit ourselves to a future of enduring peace." pic.twitter.com/qj38wYELVM

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 13, 2025

The US Central Command has detailed a few hundred soldiers who we believe will monitor that the ceasefire continues and monitor aid going into Gaza. We’re not really sure where they are going to be based.

But although Trump seemed to say this ceasefire is a done deal, he has a 20-point plan, and we’re at the fifth point. So, there are still a lot of questions, such as who is going to make up this technocratic government that takes over the administration of Palestine?

Who is going to provide forces for this international security force that we believe is going to be made up of mostly Muslim countries?

The deal says Israeli forces will pull back when they can hand over land to that international security force. A lot of questions remain.

The message the White House has been trying to send is that this is done and dusted, but experts will tell you it is clearly far from it.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, “Improvement in access to health facilities and the ability to expand our missions are crucial first steps in providing immediate health support to Palestinians across Gaza.”

The World Health Organization chief said the agency has been increasingly active in different parts of the war-ravaged enclave after the ceasefire was announced.

The release of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners offers hope to everyone who has suffered over the past two years, Tedros added, noting that this week’s developments in Gaza are a significant step in the right direction.

“Gaza’s health system must be rehabilitated and rebuilt. This crisis gives us the opportunity to rebuild it better, stronger, fairer and centred on people’s needs. The best medicine is peace.”

Since the ceasefire took effect in #Gaza, @WHO teams have been scaling up our operations. So far, we have:
-Deployed an emergency medical team within 24h to boost surgical and emergency care at Al-Ahli Hospital, with more deployments planned in Gaza City as people begin to… pic.twitter.com/C6RgFWeGjY

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 13, 2025

Trump spoke many times at the summit. There was a joint news conference with Egyptian President el-Sisi, as well as a signing ceremony.

But then at one point, Trump said the cameras were going to leave the room and that he was going to speak to the leaders privately.

What we anticipated was that meant some of these leaders were going to have, maybe, a less diplomatic discussion with him, saying the US can’t just walk away from this now, thinking this is a total victory.

Washington needs to continue to keep its eye on the ball and make sure the parties adhere to all points of the plan going forward, because they’re worried the ceasefire is perhaps more fragile than it seems at the moment.

After two years of genocide and only days into a new ceasefire, Palestinians are returning to Gaza City to find devastation: no homes, power, or family.

Now, days after US President Donald Trump announced his plan to end the bloody war, he arrived in the Middle East to solidify it. There is optimism, but questions remain. Namely, will this deal hold?

Progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders has released a statement on the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, saying he welcomes the captive-prisoner exchange and hopes the ceasefire will hold.

“The immediate priority now, amidst widespread malnutrition and starvation, must be to ensure that desperately needed humanitarian aid quickly reaches the people of Gaza,” said Sanders.

A global effort to rebuild Gaza must also begin, but Palestinians themselves must “guide this process and determine their future”, he added.

Sanders said the US must contend with its “role in this extremely dark chapter”, including its provision of weapons Israel used for the “horrendous destruction” of Gaza.

My statement on the release of hostages and prisoners in Gaza: pic.twitter.com/YSwYlDjqsW

— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 13, 2025

US President Donald Trump made a last-minute trip to the Middle East in the wake of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

He landed in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh late after having flown in from Israel, where he addressed the Israeli Knesset.

The first phase of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan has now been completed, with Hamas releasing all 20 living Israeli captives in Gaza and Israel freeing Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank.

Al Jazeera’s Inside Story discusses whether this deal will finally bring peace to the region:

Even political opponents in the United States have hailed President Donald Trump’s role in the Gaza ceasefire deal, which saw the release of all living captives held by Hamas shortly before his arrival in the Middle East.

Democratic former President Bill Clinton said in a statement that Trump and his administration “deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached”.

Jake Sullivan – who, as an adviser on national security for former US President Joe Biden, handled the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel- told CNN that “I give credit to President Trump.”

But, he added, “the question is, ‘Can we make sure this sticks as we go forward?'”

Ines Abdel Razek, co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, says this is the start of a difficult period for Palestinians, even though many are trying to portray the Gaza ceasefire as the end of the struggle.

“I think a lot of Palestinians have many mixed feelings today,” Razek told Al Jazeera from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

She said it is a moment of joy for the Palestinians as they’re welcoming prisoners after years in Israeli jails, and people in Gaza celebrate the ceasefire after two years of devastating war.

“But I think we live in a very dystopian reality right now, where Israel is patting itself on the back and the world is celebrating war criminals,” Razek said.

“Israel and Netanyahu have blood on their hands,” she added, stressing that Israel’s control over the Palestinian territories is not over.

Let’s talk about who didn’t attend the Gaza peace summit because that caused quite a kerfuffle earlier in the day.

Of course, we knew Hamas was not going to be attending. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not expected to attend the summit, either.

But several hours ago, it was reported he had been invited as well. Then it was reported that the Israeli leader had agreed. But then it was reported in the Israeli press that Netanyahu’s office stated he would not attend because it is close to a religious holiday.

There’s been no official response about this, but there’s been a lot of speculation here that perhaps some of the attendees who were on their way to Sharm el-Sheikh objected privately to the Trump administration, and said maybe they wouldn’t show up if Netanyahu were to be there.

Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi was shot dead in Gaza City. He was just 28 years old.

Aljafarawi – who gained prominence for his videos covering Israel’s devastating war – was shot and killed by members of an armed group while covering clashes in the city’s Sabra neighbourhood.

This is his last report:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by AJ+ (@ajplus)

Israeli air strikes on Gaza may have halted, and a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is ongoing. But tucked behind the headlines, tensions are brewing in Gaza between Hamas and armed groups.

On Sunday, clashes erupted between an armed clan and Hamas security forces, killing at least 27 people, including eight members of Hamas, according to the Ministry of Interior in Gaza.

Caught in the crossfire was 28-year-old Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi, who was covering clashes in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood between what security sources told Al Jazeera was an “armed militia” and Hamas.

But is this the only militia in Gaza? Who are these armed gangs? What are their goals? And are they affiliated with Israel?

Read more here.