Trump cites role in hostage returns; record shows shared effort

Donald Trump marked the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2026 by remembering its victims and saying he had fought to bring hostages home, “both the living and the dead”. It was the first anniversary since the return of all the hostages was completed. Trump and his team played a documented part in negotiations, but the returns also involved earlier releases and other governments. [1] [10]

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it helped return 109 hostages between October 2023 and the end of October 2024, before Trump’s current term. A hostage-release deal announced in January 2025 followed mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Joe Biden said it had been developed under his administration; Reuters reported that Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk worked with Trump’s incoming envoy Steve Witkoff in the final talks. That ceasefire later broke down. [6] [4] [3] [8] [9]

Trump presented another proposal in September 2025. Reuters reported that he called three times during the October negotiations, while Witkoff and Jared Kushner moved between negotiators. The ICRC subsequently transferred 20 living hostages and, in later stages, 27 of 28 deceased hostages covered by the operation. Israeli authorities recovered the final remains; Israel announced on 26 January 2026 that the return of all living and deceased hostages was complete. [5] [9] [7] [2]