Hamas hostage release: Progress toward peace must not be reversed

Editorial

16:33 JST, October 14, 2025

The substantial progress made toward ending more than two years of brutal fighting is welcome news. The ceasefire must be upheld, so that it may lead to lasting peace.

The Islamist group Hamas has released the hostages it abducted from Israel and held captive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. All 20 surviving hostages were handed over.

The group killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages during its cross-border terrorist attack in October 2023. While it previously released some hostages at various times, about 50 remained, of which about 30 are believed dead.

The hostage release is a cornerstone of the first phase of the 20-point peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The fact that Hamas agreed to this and followed through undoubtedly represents significant progress toward achieving peace.

Now it is Israel’s turn. It must withdraw its forces according to the plan and promptly release about 2,000 Palestinian detainees.

Trump arrived in Israel as hostages were being released by Hamas. He will also visit Egypt, which together with the United States is acting as a mediator. Trump should continue to exert pressure alongside relevant countries to ensure both Hamas and Israel steadily implement the peace plan.

However, even if the first phase proceeds smoothly, there is not much room for optimism. Hamas has expressed reluctance toward the disarmament provisions included in the peace plan, while Israel is attempting to delay the complete withdrawal of its military from Gaza. The gap between the two sides remains wide.

The plan also outlines a vision to exclude Hamas from the future governance of Gaza. This is also highly likely to become a source of conflict.

Though a ceasefire agreement was reached in January, it collapsed after a short time, largely due to Israel’s refusal to fully withdraw its military from Gaza. In mid-March, Israel resumed attacks, claiming that Hamas refused to release hostages.

This futile confrontation must not be repeated and there must be no return to war.

The death toll in Gaza has topped 67,000, and food shortages continue to cause famine in the enclave. To halt the immense loss of life and severe humanitarian crisis as soon as possible, the delivery of humanitarian aid must be resumed in full by U.N. agencies and others, as outlined in the peace plan.

It is regrettable that Japan has failed to play a significant role in the Gaza issue, partly due to political turmoil at home. It should accelerate cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, which Japan has long pursued, and support U.N. agencies and others.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 14, 2025)