AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Hamas Releases Final Hostages in U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire

Ebony McMorris
October 13, 2025

Reading Time: 2 minutes

(AURN News) — Hamas has released the final 20 living hostages, while Israel freed more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal. The agreement marks a potential end to two years of devastating war that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

Ziv Berman, an Israeli hostage released from the Gaza Strip gestures from the window of a helicopter landing at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

President Donald Trump is in the region for what’s being called the Summit for Peace, joined by leaders from Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and the European Union.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he will award Trump the nation’s highest civilian honor for his role in securing the ceasefire.

President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)

Speaking before Israel’s parliament, Trump declared, “You’ve won,” urging the country to move from war to peace. He also called for a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges.

Next, Trump is scheduled to travel to Egypt, promising to help rebuild Gaza — a region he once called the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.