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CNN This Morning

All Living Hostages Freed After Two Years of Hamas Captivity; President Trump Set to Address the Knesset; Sources Tell CNN Netanyahu is Considering Attending Egypt Summit. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired October 13, 2025 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[05:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News!

AUDIE CORNISH, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING: And this breaking news out of Israel. All the remaining living hostages are free after being held captive by Hamas for 738 days. Good morning, I want to thank you for joining us on this special edition of CNN THIS MORNING, I'm Audie Cornish in Washington D.C.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Wolf Blitzer here in Tel Aviv together with Kaitlan Collins. We're watching this -- a lot of smiles on the faces of --

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

BLITZER: Israelis right now, they're celebrating as the 20 living Israeli hostages are now all in Israeli custody.

COLLINS: Yes, to Wolf day -- it's a day, Wolf, that certainly wasn't guaranteed. And to have these 20 living hostages now in the hands of the IDF, that means they are safe, and it is a sigh of relief for a lot of the families here who were hopeful for this moment to play out.

But even yesterday, we were speaking with some of them in Hostages Square, they said they wanted to wait until their loved ones had actually been transferred over and released, before they could actually breathe that sigh of relief.

BLITZER: They were all nervous. They didn't know if it was going to happen. They were praying to God and hoping it would happen, but they weren't sure. But now that all 20 living Israeli hostages are back in Israel, a very happy country right now, very thrilled about what's going on. Jeremy Diamond is over at the Reim military base in southern Israel, right near the Gaza border. Jeremy --

COLLINS: And Clarissa is at Hostages Square, I believe, as well.

BLITZER: Clarissa Ward is over at Hostages Square here in Tel Aviv, watching all of this unfold. I guess -- is Jeremy ready? If Jeremy is ready, let's go to Jeremy first. Jeremy, I take it -- oh, there -- he's not ready yet. So, let's go to Clarissa. Clarissa, they're thrilled over there at Hostages Square. Thousands, tens of thousands of Israelis got up early this morning,

they're there now, and they're hearing all the news, 20 surviving Israeli hostages are now back in Israel, very strong words.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, and you've seen the mood of the crowd shift with the hours early this morning. It was very quiet. It was very serene. There were a lot of prayers, a lot of tears as people anxiously awaited. And then as we have seen those images of these hostages being reunited with their families and loved ones, and these sort of unexpected video calls with Hamas militants in the background between the hostages and their families, just as they were about to be released.

You have just heard this crowd erupting into cheers of elation, of jubilation. There is definitely a celebratory atmosphere here, which was a little different. It was a little more somber early on in the day. And there is also a lot of cheering going on for U.S. President Donald Trump.

Anytime he has been showed up on the jumbotron behind me, there have been huge applause and cheering. We have seen a lot of people carrying posters, in fact, I'm looking at one now that says, "thank you, President Trump", and then on the other side it says, "thank you, Miriam", with a picture of Miriam Adelson, Sheldon Adelson's widow.

So, a lot of jubilation and excitement here, a lot of singing, some tears as well, of course, tears of joy, tears of sadness as well, with the realization and understanding that 28 hostages who are part of this deal will not be coming home alive, and may not even be coming home today.

We have been learning over the past days that it may take some time to locate their remains, and everywhere you look, you see posters of some of those hostages who did not make it, who died in captivity or who were killed on October 7th, but whose families are also desperately waiting, desperately wanting that closure, desperately wanting to be able to bury their children, their fathers, their sons, their daughters.

And so, this is a truly historic moment, Wolf, and to be here in this crowd of people who have been coming here, many of them, every single week since this all began, since those hostages were first taken on October 7th.

[05:05:00]

And now 60,000 odd people gathered here in Hostages Square wanting to be part of this moment, wanting to share in the joy and wanting to witness history in the making. Wolf.

BLITZER: So dramatic indeed. Clarissa Ward on the scene for us at Hostages Square here in Tel Aviv. And Kaitlan, all 20 surviving Israeli hostages, 13 and seven originally, now the remaining 13, they're back in Israeli custody.

COLLINS: Yes, they were released in two groups, but now they all are in the hands of the Israelis, and obviously, that's a huge moment for everyone here that they were waiting for, the final survivors of October 7th, Wolf. And as we get to that, they are going straight to where CNN's Jeremy Diamond is.

And Jeremy, obviously, you're positioned there, where these hostages, it's the first place that they are being taken when they are brought back on Israeli soil.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Kaitlan, and we just saw two helicopters taking off from this Reim military base, presumably with hostages on board headed to those hospitals in central Israel. There are crowds of people who are out here who began cheering as soon as they saw those helicopters lift off a moment, of course, more than two years in the making.

Some of the last Israeli hostages who were held in captivity and now newly released taking off, tasting freedom and headed for -- very emotional reunions with extended family and friends who are waiting for them at those hospitals in central Israel. You can see that there's another military transport plane right -- helicopter right behind me here.

That was just loaded, it would seem, a bus pulled up to it. The -- you know, tent was positioned there at the back of the helicopter, and presumably, this helicopter will be lifting off soon as well. Kaitlan?

BLITZER: Yes, Jeremy, it's Wolf. A quick question. Do we know if these hostages that are -- the Reim military base where you are, will be helicoptered to specific hospitals in Tel Aviv? The Ichilov Hospital, for example, in Tel Aviv, where I was yesterday. They're ready to start receiving these hostages. Do we know which hospitals they will be going to?

DIAMOND: Yes, that's right, Wolf, there are three hospitals in the Tel Aviv area that have all been prepared to receive these hostages. These are hospitals that have been used in the past to receive hostages as well.

So, at this point, they have quite a bit of experience, and they've been able to learn from previous releases, you know, what the needs of some of these hostages are, things that they maybe didn't anticipate back in November of 2023, when you saw that initial round of hostage releases during that first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Then, of course, came the one at the beginning of this year, in January and February. And now, this final release of Israeli hostages, 20 living hostages now back on Israeli soil after more than two years of captivity.

And at these hospitals, you know, special rooms, as you saw, Wolf, have been prepared for them to try and make them feel comfortable, to make them feel as much at home as possible, to give them a privacy, to spend time with their families, and of course, receive any necessary medical and psychological treatment that they might need.

BLITZER: Yes, they are certainly ready to receive these hostages as I saw yesterday when I visited the Ichilov Hospital here in Tel Aviv. All right, Jeremy, I know you're busy over there at Reim, at the Israeli military base in southern Israel, not far from Gaza, that's where these Israeli hostages make their first stop before being moved to some of the hospitals in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel.

Our breaking news coverage of all of these dramatic developments will continue, that's coming up next. The 20 remaining living Israeli hostages now freed, free at last. Now, we're going to speak live to the head of the medical team for the hostages and the missing families forum. We'll talk about that and a lot more.

We're only beginning our breaking news coverage of the dramatic development, we're also standing by to hear directly from President Trump, he's about to speak before the Israeli Knesset, the parliament.

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[05:10:00]

BLITZER: We continue with our breaking news coverage right now, dramatic developments, all 20 remaining surviving Israeli hostages have now been released. They're back in the hands of Israel. This morning, sources tell CNN that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is also considering traveling to Egypt for a summit on Gaza's future.

This after he spoke about that with the visiting President of the United States, President Trump, who is about to address the Knesset; Israel's parliament. The President, after that speech, will travel to Egypt to participate in a summit to deal with the aftermath of the ceasefire agreement and what happens next in Gaza.

Leaders from several countries will be there. It will be hosted by President El-Sisi of Egypt at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. World leaders from more than 20 countries, we are told, are taking part in the summit. Among them, leaders from Canada, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Turkey in addition to the United Nations Secretary- General Antonio Guterres.

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CNN's Becky Anderson is joining us from Sharm El-Sheikh right now. So, set the scene for us, what are you learning over there, Becky?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this is officially called the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace. It's positioned as an agreement to end the war in Gaza. Look, as you rightly point out, there is a wide body of world leaders expected to gather here this afternoon. President Trump scheduled to fly directly from Israel after his speech at the Knesset.

The news that we are just hearing, as you have just suggested, is that there is some talk now that Benjamin Netanyahu may actually attend this summit, not something that we can stand up, as you and I speak, but that would be historic. This is a summit designed and co-hosted by President Trump and the Egyptians, designed to ensure the continued engagement and support by Donald Trump of these efforts. It's about maintaining momentum into the next phase. Now, that we have seen the release of these living hostages, it may take some time, of course, to see the release of the bodies of those who haven't survived. But that sort of baked into the deal and accepted by the Israelis at this point. So, it's about what happens next.

And that is the choreography that's been sort of been laid out, as it were, for this summit, as one regional diplomat described it to me, we are flying a plane while we build it. There are an awful lot of moving parts about what happens next to ensure that this is the end to the war. It's too early to call that as of yet.

I think, though, Donald Trump has said as far as he is concerned, the war is over. He said that to reporters on his flight over to Israel this morning. So, some hours from now -- and this is slightly delayed, but some hours from now, we will see Donald Trump arrive here in Sharm El-Sheikh. There will be the leaders of the eight countries who met Donald Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UNGA, known as the NY8 these days.

That is the leaders of Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, plus the leaders, or certainly representation from two other countries. Two Muslim majority countries, that of Pakistan and Indonesia. We know, for example, that Indonesia has already suggested throwing its weight in support of the further engagement into the end of this war with the offer of some 20,000 troops on the ground for this international stabilization force.

But I think at this point, the effort is all about ensuring momentum and engagement. I spoke to the Egyptian Foreign Minister just a couple of hours ago here, ahead of his moving to the conference center, where this summit will be held just down the road from here. And this is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Do you credit Donald Trump with getting us to this point?

BADR ABDELATTY, FOREIGN MINISTER, EGYPT: Absolutely, without any -- I mean, debate about that. It's a given that without the leadership of President Trump, without his -- I mean, commitments, we couldn't reach this historical day here in Sharm El-Sheikh. And his involvement is the most important element to guarantee the implementation of the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement.

He's the only person -- I am not exaggerating. He's the only person on the globe who can deliver on that, and who can bring peace to this region. Not only implementing phase one and phase two, but also to bring an end to this longstanding, you know, Palestinian crisis, suffering for all -- moreover than 80 years. And we are believing on him and his leadership and his ability to deliver on that.

ANDERSON: As far as he is concerned, the war is over. He has said that to reporters on the flight to Israel. Is it over to your mind today? ABDELATTY: Yes, of course, we believe on that. And that's why his

engagement is important. And Israel should refrain from taking any unilateral action or any assassination or targeted assassination or air raids or intrusions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:20:00]

ANDERSON: So, he says that Trump's engagement in the Middle East and on the Palestinian question is what is fundamental here. And he says that the signing today of this declaration here in Sharm El-Sheikh, Wolf, by mediators and guarantors, in the first instance, the U.S., Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

But then this wider group of the wider MYA, plus other countries, as we understand it, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, though there is a wide, long list of countries that will represent Europeans, for example, the E4 as they are known, that will represent as Donald Trump describes this world support for the end of this war.

What's crucial at this point is keeping everybody engaged. The Egyptian Foreign Minister told me, and that means keeping Donald Trump engaged. There is such a wide sort of list or a long list of issues that still need to be sorted out. Hamas needs to disarm. What is that going to look like? What does -- what does decommissioning look like?

You know, what does the governance and security in Gaza look like going forward? I mean, the list goes on. Who will be involved? Which troops will be involved on that? The Egyptian Foreign Minister said he would like to see U.S. troops, for example, on the ground in Gaza. Now, we know at this point, there is no -- as far as we understand it, no agreement to that.

Certainly, the Egyptians are going to be involved to a degree, and it's not clear yet. And this is the point. It is not clear what happens next. This list is so long. And as I say, you know, so many fundamental questions about how things are going to look going forward. But the idea is, this next summit will be followed by the convening of a massive world conference on the reconstruction and redevelopment of Gaza.

The Egyptians say they will host that three to four weeks time. So, that takes us to sort of mid-November. What happens in the interim? Is there a vacuum on governance and security? The Egyptian Foreign Minister tells me, no, it -- while this ceasefire holds, things should be safe on the ground. There's a lot of should be, might be, could be here.

But ultimately, the aspiration is from all involved at this point, and that includes the protagonists here, that this is a ceasefire that is going to lead to the end of this war. Donald Trump says the war is over, those here hope the war is over. The Egyptian Foreign Minister says he believes the war is over. There are a lot of questions still to be asked, but that certainly is the wish, hope and aspiration at this point. BLITZER: And we know, Becky, that President Trump discussed with

Prime Minister Netanyahu the possibility of Prime Minister Netanyahu joining him and attending this summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, where you are. Any reaction there from President El-Sisi of Egypt or others to the possibility that the Israeli leader will also attend?

ANDERSON: We've put out the calls, we're speaking to our sources, we haven't got any response or reaction as of yet. We do know that the Iranians, for example, were formally invited to this meeting, and we had been reporting that had not -- that was an invitation that had been formally sent. The understanding was that the Iranians would not be coming late last night.

It was being reported by "Farsi" state news agency that a decision hadn't yet been made. Again, very open. I mean, just imagine how historic it would be if Donald Trump had convened or were to convene today, a meeting of world leaders, including the Israeli Prime Minister here with Arab majority Muslim leaders and others from around the world, including representation from Iran.

I'm not saying that's going to happen because we cannot stand that up, but we know there was a formal invitation to the Iranians. I mean, I don't think in this region or as long as I've been doing journalism, and I'm sure you'll agree with me, Wolf, you know, that meeting, if both stakeholders were here, would be about as historic as it gets.

But I can't stand up any response as of yet to the potential for Netanyahu to be here, nor can I stand up whether officially, we know that the Iranians have said that they will not be here. So, there, again, lots of moving parts. I think, you know, what happens in Sharm El-Sheikh this afternoon, and we are talking just hours from now.

[05:25:00]

We are, of course, delayed in -- you know, we had expected Donald Trump to already have addressed the Knesset. Clearly, there's a lot going on behind the scenes with these living hostages, now having been released, we expect to see him speak at the Knesset. We then expect him to fly here. I think there are an enormous amount of moving parts, but the potential this afternoon for real history in the making here in what is known as the city of peace, Sharm El-Sheikh.

So many meetings, so many leaders over the years gathered here to sign up to declarations of peace, certainly on the Israel-Palestine file. Those peace deals, just deals in principle, you know, didn't work. We are where we are today, it is 2025 with you there in Tel Aviv, and I was here in Sharm El-Sheikh. I think these datelines really do reflect just the enormity of what is going on today. Wolf?

BLITZER: It's -- Sharm El-Sheikh is a very special place, I've been there for some of those historic meetings over the years myself --

ANDERSON: Of course --

BLITZER: And it's really --

ANDERSON: Yes --

BLITZER: Special. I just want to be precise before, and you can go, Becky, the Iranians received a formal invitation to attend, which they rejected. Did Israel receive a formal invitation to attend as well? We know that Netanyahu is now considering after discussing this with President Trump attending. But was Israel originally invited as well?

ANDERSON: That we do not know. We know that the -- there was a formal invitation to the Iranians, you're correct in saying that. In the initial hours after that, we were told that, that the -- there would not be a delegation, an Iranian delegation here. That seemed to change as far as the state news agency was concerned late last night, and I haven't seen any formal commitment to either be here or not be here from the Iranians.

I can't tell you at this point whether there has been a formal invitation from either of the co-hosts of this meeting, either by the Egyptians or by Donald Trump for Benjamin Netanyahu to be here. I was told by, again, a regional diplomat, very familiar with what is going on here, when I was discussing who would be here some days ago, they said that it will be a list of people designed by Donald Trump. That's as far as I can report at this point.

BLITZER: And the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, will he be there?

ANDERSON: Not as far as -- I'm just being told by my producer, we've been -- we've been following that up. He is invited.

BLITZER: We'll see if he shows up. All right, Becky Anderson in Sharm El-Sheikh for us, we'll stay in very close touch with you, this meeting there will be very significant in implementing the details of this ceasefire agreement. Thank you very much. And just in, we're now getting word that Israel is preparing to begin its release of some of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees who have been held in Israel, some of them serving life sentences.

The timing of those releases will -- is still not clear, at least, not yet. But we are waiting for President Trump to address Israel's parliament, the Knesset. We'll see if we learn more on that speech. We'll, of course, have live coverage of that, all of the breaking news continues right after this.

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