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Hostages are Returning Home to Israel; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is Interviewed about the Hostages Release; Trump Heading to Egypt for Summit. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired October 13, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What this means for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Nada.

And as we await the arrival of Donald Trump here within the next hour to the summit center here in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Let me get you to Jeremy, who is on the ground in Israel.

Jeremy, just remind us where you are and what you've been witnessing.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I'm outside of the Sheba Medical Center, where we have been watching as one helicopter after the next has been landing here with these newly freed Israeli hostages. They have been arriving with the family members who greeted them at that Re'im military base in southern Israel. That is where they have had their initial family reunions. Oftentimes, their closest family members, whether that's a mother, a brother, a sibling, you know, a partner. We have seen all kinds of reunions, incredibly emotional scenes at that Re'im military base that's about five miles outside of the border with Gaza.

From there, after they have that initial reunion, a very quick initial medical evaluation to make sure there are no urgent medical needs. They then board helicopters and land on this helipad right behind me.

And we have been watching as all these helicopters have been landing. They then get off, get into these awaiting busses and are brought into the Sheba Medical Center.

And this is really just the beginning of an incredibly long journey of recovery that is beginning for these hostages, but also continuation of these scenes of joy today because, in addition to those close relatives who met them at that Re'im base, there are plenty of other family members awaiting the rest of them here at the Sheba Medical Center. There are friends oftentimes as well. And you just have to think about what those moments feel like, both for the hostages themselves who have been held in captivity, in dire conditions in many cases, for just over two years now, and also for their loved ones and their friends who have spent two years of anguish, two years of fighting for their loved ones release, two years protesting, meeting with foreign officials, doing everything that they possibly could in order to arrive at this very moment.

And this is not just a moment for those families, but really for the entirety of this country, ending a two-year nightmare for this country and closing a chapter as this is now the first time since the beginning of this war, since October 7, 2023, that there are no longer any living hostages being held inside of the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

We have also just learned, according to Hamas' al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas, that four dead bodies of hostages are also going to be released today. They are the bodies of Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi, a Nepali Citizen, and Daniel Peretz. And we don't know yet about the other bodies. Keep in mind there are 28 bodies of deceased hostages that are currently being held inside of Gaza. We've only learned of those four that will be released today. And that does raise a lot of uncertainty for the remainder of these families.

Hearing another helicopter overhead here, Becky. Keep in mind, Hamas does not know the location of all of these hostages. And so there will be still some uncertainty in the days ahead.

ANDERSON: Yes.

And, Jeremy, that is something I discussed with the Egyptian foreign minister when I spoke to him a little earlier today. Egypt, along with Qatar and Turkey, of course, have been deeply involved in the mediation of this ceasefire deal. And as far as he was concerned, when I spoke to him earlier on today, and talked to him about the expectations for the return of those deceased, he said it was very likely to take some days, if not longer, for the full return. He was convinced that Hamas would be able to return those bodies. And as far as he was concerned, it does seem -- there does seem to be an understanding with Israel at this point that this is going to take some time, that Hamas doesn't know where all those bodies are, he told me, and therefore, you know, this -- this could take longer than certainly Israel and others had hoped.

It's good to have you there. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, folks, I'm at the site of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit for peace, which is positioned as an agreement to end the war in Gaza. Donald Trump is due here to attend, along with leaders from more than 20 countries. He's rather late, running about three and a half hours late. He's expected within the next hour.

Those countries include the representation by Mahmoud Abbas of the PA. It doesn't include a representation by Hamas. Israel not attending, although, at some point earlier on today, there was some indication they might.

[09:35:01]

But Israel not attending. Iran, not in attendance. Although, as we understand it, they did -- they did receive a formal invitation.

What are the expectations here? Well, this is about maintaining momentum. When I talked to the Egyptian foreign minister earlier on today and asked him how crucial it was that Donald Trump is co- hosting, would be present here today, along with the Egyptian president, el-Sisi, as host, he said it is absolutely crucial that Donald Trump stays engaged in ending this war.

Were the end of this war and peace in the Middle East possible through sheer force of will, we might be able to consider or declare success today. Are we there yet? Not yet. Is there a credible pathway potentially for the end of this war and potential peace? Certainly there are the bones of that in place. What will a plan look like? Not clear at this point. What is the implementation and detail of that plan? Not clear.

But if this is about choreographing a credible pathway, certainly it feels like we are moving in the right direction. Of course, as we get through, not just the speech by Donald Trump made to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset today, but ahead of his arrival here in Sharm el-Sheikh.

We're going to take a very short break at this point. Stay with us. We will be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:41:18]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are standing by for President Trump to arrive in Egypt. He is airborne right now, on his way to a summit with 20 world leaders on the future of Gaza. This morning, you can see, well, actually, on the right hand side of your screen you can see inside Gaza, in Khan Younis, celebrations there for the return of some of the Palestinian prisoners who had been held. In Israel it has been a far, far different scene.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: All morning we've been seeing these emotional scenes, beautiful scenes, as you see there, from the military facility in southern Israel, where the released Israeli hostages were reunited with their family for the first time -- families for the first time in two long years.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: You don't need to know the language to know those emotions, right?

BERMAN: No. That's literally what I was just thinking, you don't need to know how to speak Hebrew to really feel the eruption of emotion that these people, the feelings they've been holding inside for 738 days. To see that moment, it's really breathtaking.

BOLDUAN: Just like the emotional release that -- and the long road that's just beginning for all of them, not just the now released hostages, they're -- all of their families, their entire communities. This is just beautiful and just such a long road ahead as well.

Now, before heading to Egypt, President Trump spoke before the Israeli parliament. He's at the Knesset. He -- during what was a very lengthy speech, the president praised the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a man of exceptional courage and also saying that the Middle East is ready to embrace its potential.

[09:45:06]

And that's where the focus turns right now. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is in Tel Aviv. And we're waiting now for President Trump to land in Sharm el-Sheikh and begin the next step in what is going to be a very busy day.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, a busy day. But, you know, just watching those reunions and that clip that you just played there of multiple people being reunited with their loved ones, one of them was a mother and her son. I mean you just -- it's hard to see how anyone doesn't get chills watching that, especially after more than two long years as they waited to hug them and to see those moments playing out here in Tel Aviv.

Joining me now is the Democratic congressman, Adam Smith, of Washington.

And it's great to have you here, sir.

You're the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. And, you know, you weighed in a lot on this war that's been playing out for the last two years. Obviously, the president sounded incredibly hopeful in his address here to the Knesset earlier about this actually being the real end of the war in Gaza, something we have not heard -- yet heard from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

But when you see those emotional scenes, the reunions of these hostages with their loved ones, I've certainly heard from a lot of hostage families who give President Trump credit for this moment happening. Do you give him credit for this?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Oh, certainly. I mean this is an incredible accomplishment and an incredible moment. I mean, hostages returned. You -- well, you saw the pictures. I mean the relief for the families is amazing.

But second, the final end of the war in Gaza, and the suffering in Gaza has been enormous over the course of two years now. There are miles to go on a whole host of different issues that we're going to need to work on that you've been covering this morning. But you have to look at the moment and say, just ending the war and getting the hostages home is an incredible accomplishment. It was a long time coming, to be sure, but certainly the president dove in and was engaged on this issue in a way that right now truly did make a difference.

COLLINS: What were your takeaways as you listened to his speech, it was over an hour, to the Israeli parliament earlier, including a call for the Israeli president to pardon Prime Minister Netanyahu, who's facing a corruption trial and charges there. What stood out to you from his remarks?

SMITH: Well, I mean, what stands out to me about the whole thing is what comes next. And that's sort of the two parts of the story. I mean the first thing is what you've said and showed about, you know, just the relief, ending the war, getting the hostages home. But what comes next will quickly become equally important. Does this get to a lasting peace? And the key to that is having an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, having the Israeli government be willing to support that alternative and also, I think, making sure that the United States and Donald Trump stay engaged.

This is a great moment. We need to build on it and get to a lasting peace. And that's going to take a lot of work. And I hope we remain committed to that process. And that Prime Minister Netanyahu works with Palestinian alternatives to Hamas.

And then lastly, the Arab states are going to be so crucial on this. Do they put the money and support necessary to help rebuild Gaza and give Palestinians a future? And that's the dominant thing for me as I listen to that speech, is thinking about what comes next and will this last.

COLLINS: Yes, we're going to be watching -- I mean that is the question on everyone's mind, I think, and they're cautiously optimistic and hopeful but -- but also, you know, have seen what's happened in the Middle East in the decades past. And I do wonder, going into what we're about to watch, with the president landing in Egypt in about 20 minutes from now for this signing ceremony, he actually got on the phone with President Sisi, who has not had a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu in quite some time, in years. Had Sisi invite Netanyahu to this summit.

Initially, what we were hearing from Israeli officials, from White House officials, from Egyptians, sounded like Netanyahu might go to that summit. And then the -- the prime minister's office said, no, he wasn't going to go. Do you believe that's a missed opportunity for him not to go to this summit in Egypt?

SMITH: Well, I think what's important is there's relationships that have to be repaired. And I've spoken to the leaders of -- well, I've spoken to King Abdullah, MBS in Saudi Arabia, the leaders in Egypt. There is a deep well of -- of bitterness towards Prime Minister Netanyahu and the way he handled this over the course of the last two years. Because in the opinions of many, this -- this peace should have come a long time ago. And there should have been less suffering in Gaza. And most of the leaders in the Middle East placed the blame for that not happening squarely on Prime Minister Netanyahu. So, is he going to be able to repair those relationships to get to that future in Gaza and future for Israel?

[09:50:07]

If Israel wants peace, the Palestinian people are going to have to have a future and some form of stable government they can call their own. And Netanyahu really damaged a lot of relationships with his Arab partners over the course of the last two years.

Now, I think it would have been a lot to ask right now, you know, mere days after the ceasefire agreement for those -- those Arab leaders to just embrace Netanyahu in a summit in Egypt. Yes, it would have been good if that could have been accomplished, but highly unrealistic. So, what's going to happen going forward? Is Prime Minister Netanyahu going to repair those relationships and show his Arab partners that he's committed to peace for the Palestinians, and not just in Gaza, by the way, but in the West Bank as well?

COLLINS: Yes. We'll all, obviously, be watching that closely as we're watching those Palestinian prisoners and detainees return home as well.

Congressman Adam Smith, always grateful for your time. Thank you for joining us.

And we'll be right back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, the major breaking news this morning, all 20 living hostages who had been held in Gaza are free. We've been seeing pictures like this all morning long of these now former -- actually, this is now former hostages arriving at hospitals around Israel where they will be treated and cared for to make sure their return after more than two years in captivity is as smooth and tender as it can be.

[09:55:24]

BOLDUAN: You can see, just overcome with emotion, being greeted with so much love. So many people who have been waiting to greet them.

BERMAN: I'm actually really glad they opened the door there so he had a chance to see the crowds, and the crowds had a chance to see them. What a moment.

BOLDUAN: You also see the frail state that he was in for sure.

BERMAN: That's a great point.

We are standing by for President Trump to arrive in Egypt, in Sharm el-Sheikh. He will attend a summit there on the future of Gaza with leaders from more than 20 other countries.

BOLDUAN: Earlier, the -- President Trump spoke at the Israeli parliament, calling this a new dawn for the Middle East. He received a very warm welcome. Many standing ovations. Of course, as his -- as he and the U.S. played such a central role in brokering the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which could prove to be the biggest achievement of his second term.

Joining us right now is CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali, to kind of mark this moment, mark this moment in what we heard from the president in his speech just now to the Israeli parliament, but also now, as the president is landing in Egypt for a very big moment in trying to broker peace in the Middle East.

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: This is a pivotal moment, not simply in President Trump's term, but in the history of the Middle East. The United States is now leading a coalition of countries, largely Arab countries, that are going to help Palestinians deconstruct the authoritarian regimes that have prevented them from having elections since 2006. This is a huge moment. It has been very hard historically for the United States to be able to recruit enough support from Arab countries to do the hard work in the Palestinian territories to help Palestinians achieve democracy.

BERMAN: And if that does happen going forward, that, of course, could truly be a game changer.

Tim, just historically, in the past, we have seen presidents devote a great deal of their one or two terms in office to finding solutions in the Middle East. I mean going back to Nixon and then Carter and then Clinton and then Bush to an extent. So, where have things gone right and where have things gone wrong? What do we know from history about the challenges that are still faced?

NAFTALI: Well, one of the reasons the Abraham Accords of 2020 have been game changers is that the Trump administration, and, by the way, the Biden administration built on this, today's event is Trump's success, but the Biden administration continued to work on the Abraham Accords. They were game changers because they brought the Arab -- the gulf Arabs into the process. The wealthy gulf Arabs.

The United States had tried to build a structure of peace involving Jordan and Egypt. Those two countries, while extremely important, lacked some of the resources to do what the gulf Arabs can do to help the Palestinian people. In addition, Jordan and Egypt had domestic reasons for them not to be able to publicly back the kind of changes in the -- in Palestine that are required.

Donald Trump has forced the Arab states and Israel to accept the creation of an international stabilization force, which means that the demilitarization of Gaza will not be done by the Israelis, which smacked of a colonial operation, but will be done by foreign states that are committed to eventually the achievement of some form of Palestinian state. That's a fundamental shift in the nature of what's going to go on in the Middle East.

BOLDUAN: Fundamental shift is what -- as you describe it. I mean this is just a -- this is just a pivotal day all around.

NAFTALI: It is.

BOLDUAN: Not only getting the final living hostages out of Gaza, seeing that the -- as Donald Trump declared, that war is now over. And now the president about to arrive in Sharm el-Sheikh, where John and I saw they have -- it says "Peace in the Middle East" is the banner atop of -- they have plastered atop of the flags.

NAFTALI: Right. BOLDUAN: I mean this is -- there is a lot of hope in this moment, and no one should -- and no one is even going to pretend that there isn't a lot of challenge ahead. But it is such a day.

[10:00:05]

It's good to see you, Tim. Thank you so much for coming in.

BERMAN: It is an opportunity. We will track every...