News Digest — 10/14/25
Trump In Knesset: Israel Achieved Everything Through Strength – Now Is The Time For Peace And Prosperity
As 20 hostages returned alive from Hamas captivity Monday (13th), in an emotional homecoming, another dramatic scene unfolded: the visit of US President Donald Trump to Israel, with a speech delivered at the Knesset by the man widely regarded as the architect of the agreement that brought the war in Gaza to an end.
“After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today, the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is at peace. This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” he said.
“It is an incredible triumph for Israel and the world to have all of these nations together as partners in peace. Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change.”
“The cruelty of October 7th struck to the core of humanity itself. The United States of America grieved alongside you, and we mourned for our own citizens who were so viciously taken. To all the families whose lives were forever changed by the atrocities of that day, and to all the people of Israel, please know that America joins you in those two everlasting vows – NEVER FORGET, and NEVER AGAIN.”
”As the dust settles, the smoke fades, the debris is removed, and the ashes clear from the air, the day breaks on a region TRANSFORMED—and a beautiful and much brighter future appears suddenly within our reach.”
“Israel has won all that can be won by force of arms. Now, it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East,” Trump continued.
“Together we have shown that Peace is not just a hope we can dream about, it is a reality we can build upon – day by day , person by person, nation by nation.”
“It should now be clear to everyone throughout this region that decades of fomenting terrorism and extremism, jihadism and anti-Semitism have not worked – they have backfired completely and totally, from Gaza to Iran, those bitter hatreds have delivered nothing but misery, suffering and failure,” Trump concluded.
Four Slain Hostages Returned By IDF After Two Years In Captivity
The IDF escorted all four of the coffins of the deceased hostages that Hamas said it would return on Monday evening (13th), to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, the military said in a statement.
Once at the Institute, Israeli forensic scientists go through the process of ensuring that the bodies are those of the four hostages Hamas claimed to have released.
Earlier on Monday (13th), Hamas said it would return the bodies of Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi, Guy Illouz, and Daniel Peretz.
Hamas said it will only return four bodies, disregarding the Trump agreement.
In response, the Hostage Families Forum called on the Israeli government to immediately suspend the agreement with Hamas until every deceased hostage was returned.
“Hamas’s violation of the agreement must be met with a very serious response from the government and the mediators,” a statement from the forum reads.
“Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” the IDF stated.
Israel Frees Nearly 2,000 Palestinian Prisoners, Including Hundreds Of Terror Convicts
Israel on Monday (13th) freed nearly 2,000 Palestinians – including hundreds of terror convicts serving life terms – from its prisons as part of a deal to reach a ceasefire and release the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Shortly after 20 living hostages were freed, Israel put 1,968 Palestinian prisoners on buses that departed for the West Bank and Gaza.
Among those freed were 250 security prisoners, most of them serving one or more life terms for deadly attacks on Israelis. They include a Palestinian police officer who joined in the notorious lynching of two reservists at the start of the Second Intifada in 2000, and dozens of other terrorists responsible for a series of bombings and other attacks.
In hours leading up to the release, Police and IDF troops in the West Bank and East Jerusalem kept a close eye on freed security prisoners and their families to ensure their release wasn’t praised publicly in Israeli-controlled territory.
Once reaching Ramallah, however, those returning to the West Bank were met with raucous celebration after two buses arrived at a community center. As the prisoners got off the buses, they were met with crowds cheering their return.
As the security prisoners returned home, high-ranking terrorists were deported. Those sent abroad included Iyad Abu al-Rub, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander responsible for orchestrating three deadly suicide bombings in Shadmot Mechola, Tel Aviv and Hadera over the years 2003-2005, in which 13 people were killed.
Also deported was Muhammad Zakameh, a Fatah operative who planned a 2009 attack in which taxi driver Grigory Raginovich was murdered, and Muhammad Abu al-Rub, who in 2017 carried out a stabbing attack that killed Reuven Shmerling.
Gazan detainees were transported back to the Strip on 38 buses; guards stormed one of the vehicles after several Palestinians pulled the vehicle’s window curtains aside in a “celebratory display.”
The final list of prisoners was disputed by Hamas negotiators up until the last minute and was altered several times as the group fought to free several key terror chiefs, including popular Fatah figure Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences.
Hamas and Israeli negotiators also agreed upon the transfer of “360 Gazan terrorists’ bodies” in the final decision ratifying the ceasefire. It is likely the bodies would only be returned once Hamas had sent back the bodies of 28 slain Israeli hostages.
Hamas had only released 4 of the 28 deceased hostages, as of Monday evening (13th).
Hamas Executes Suspected Collaborators In Gaza After Hostage Release
Hours after releasing the living hostages it had been holding since October 7, 2023, the murderous terrorist organization Hamas, on Monday evening (13th), executed several individuals in Gaza suspected of collaborating with Israel or being involved in the internal conflict between the terror organization and clans or militias in the Strip.
According to a report in Ynet , the executions were carried out in front of a cheering crowd, some of whom also filmed the executions.
Palestinian Arab sources stated that this was a targeted operation against operatives suspected of “treason” or connections with foreign entities.
Several weeks ago, social media pages affiliated with Hamas published chilling footage showing the public execution of three Gazans in Gaza City. Hamas accused the three men of collaborating with Israel.
The video shows three blindfolded men with their hands tied, surrounded by a huge crowd that included children. Armed Hamas terrorists are seen standing over the accused, before they carry out the execution.
Most of Hamas’ executions have been of alleged “Israeli spies.” In May, Hamas executed four individuals for their alleged involvement in looting aid trucks entering Gaza.
Gradually weakened by the IDF during the war, Hamas has gradually sent members back into the streets of Gaza since the ceasefire began on Friday (10th), moving cautiously in case it suddenly collapses, according to two security sources in the territory.
Seeking to reassert itself since the ceasefire, Hamas has killed at least 32 people in a crackdown on groups that have pushed against their tight grip on the enclave.
Hamas Is Still Armed And Still Demanding Power – Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib
Hamas’ senior political leader in Qatar, Khalil al-Hayya, declared Thursday (9th) that Gaza will never bow down and repeated familiar talking points about martyrdom, jihad and fighting the Zionist enemy. Despite its supposed agreement to President Trump’s deal, Hamas is insisting it will not disarm and that it will not surrender the right to take on Israel through violent means.
Thus far, Hamas has said no to an international force and no to Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” which would oversee the Strip’s deradicalization, recovery and rejuvenation. It has insisted on wanting a role in shaping the transitional authority. Hamas is not behaving as though it plans to peacefully or voluntarily give up power.
This is predictable. Hamas is religiously, philosophically and ideologically wedded to the narrative of armed resistance, which is central to its identity. From Hamas’ point of view, the October 7 massacre was a step on the path to “liberation.” So despite its enormous losses, which could include as many as 25,000 fighters and almost all its senior military leadership in Gaza, including October 7 masterminds Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar and his brother Muhammad Sinwar, Hamas does not view itself as defeated.
What is needed to ensure that the war in Gaza is truly over is for the Trump administration and mediators in Istanbul, Doha and Cairo to immediately press for what phase two could look like. This requires holding Hamas to its commitment that it will not be part of a new civilian infrastructure or governance apparatus. The international stabilization force must enter Gaza as soon as possible before the Israeli military has significantly withdrawn. This would ensure that the gap is not immediately filled with the remnants of Hamas.
The Trump peace proposal may indeed work, but it can only be achieved through relentless drive and enthusiasm well beyond phase one of the agreement. Otherwise, Gaza will remain subject to the whims of an Islamic terror organization.
The writer, a Gaza native, is a resident senior fellow of the Atlantic Council. (Sunday Times – UK)
Indonesian President To Make Historic Trip To Israel–Report
The president of Indonesia is planning on making a historic visit to Israel this week, according to reports published by Israeli news outlets on Monday (13th),
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muislim-majority country, has never had formal diplomatic relations of any kind with Israel, and no Indonesian president has ever visited Israel.
However, multiple reports claim that President Prabowo Subianto is now slated to arrive in Israel Tuesday evening (14th), following the end of the Simchat Torah holiday.
According to sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Subianto is tentatively scheduled to meet with Netanyahu Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
The announcement came after Netanyahu turned down an invitation from President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to join the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
“The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said that he would not be able to attend due to the proximity to the start of the holiday Simchat Torah,” the Prime Minister’s Office said Monday afternoon (13th).
The PMO also said that “the Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his efforts to expand the circle of peace—peace through strength.”
While Indonesia has said in the past that it will only establish ties with Israel after a Palestinian state is established, Subianto struck a moderate tone during his address at the United Nations General Assembly last month, emphasizing the need to “guarantee the safety and security of Israel” and ended his speech with the word “Shalom.”
Netanyahu alluded to Subianto’s planned visit to Israel in a request filed earlier this week to delay his testimony in three trials in order to accommodate a visit by the president of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and “another diplomatic visit,” which Netanyahu declined to specify in his letter to the court.
Despite the apparent steps toward reconciliation, Jakarta announced last Friday (10th) that it would not permit Israeli gymnasts to enter the country for the upcoming World Artistic Gymnastics Championship.
Israel blasted the decision, with the Israel Gymnastics Federation calling the refusal to grant visas to Israeli gymnasts “outrageous and deeply troubling.”
