The hostages have not been released. Why is Israel pulling out?

Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said he had received guarantees from the United States and other mediators that the war was over. Sickening.

Trump Gives Hamas a New Lease on Life

Israeli forces start pulling back from parts of Gaza as cease-fire deal with Hamas starts

By Reuters, Oct. 10, 2025:

Israel’s government ratified the cease-fire with Hamas in the early hours of Friday, clearing the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and free Israeli hostages held there within 72 hours after that.

The Israeli military said that the ceasefire went into effect at noon on Friday

“IDF troops began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages,” the military said on X. “IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat.”

“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s English-language X account said.

In Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, some Israeli troops pulled back from the eastern area near the border, but tank shelling was heard, according to residents in contact with Reuters.

[…]

Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said he had received guarantees from the United States and other mediators that the war was over.

Twenty Israeli hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza, while 26 are presumed dead and the fate of two is unknown.

Hamas has indicated that recovering the bodies of the dead may take longer than releasing those who are alive.

Once the agreement is operating, trucks carrying food and medical aid will surge into Gaza to help civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom have been sheltering in tents after Israeli forces destroyed their homes and razed entire cities to dust.

Men dance and hold the four items used as a symbol on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, at a plaza known as hostages square, following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan.

The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt the war.

Much could still go wrong. The sides have yet to publish the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for Israeli hostages. Hamas is seeking freedom for some of the most prominent Palestinian convicts held in Israeli jails, as well as hundreds of people detained during Israel’s assault.

Further steps in Trump’s 20-point plan have yet to be agreed upon.

Those include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled when the fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has so far rejected Israel’s demands it disarm.

Netanyahu also faces skepticism from within his governing coalition, as many have long opposed any deal with Hamas.

Trump said he would head to the region on Sunday, possibly to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana invited him to address the Israeli parliament.