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Trump, World Leaders Sign Gaza Ceasefire Deal; Emotional Scenes as Families Reunite with Freed Palestinians; Displaced Palestinians Return Home to Destruction and Ruins. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired October 13, 2025 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: ... We are short in detail and that is the issue here, that is the nub, because whilst you'd be hard pressed to find anybody who doesn't support the efforts that the Trump administration, Donald Trump himself and his team have made to get this ceasefire deal across the line. It's what happens next which is going to be tough.

Those guarantors have said that the war is over, Donald Trump has said as far as he is concerned the war is over, but to ensure that war is over both sides need to keep to their promises in this agreement and we need to see an awful lot of detail now on what happens next.

Hamas is expected to disarm, how are they going to do that? Will they do that? Indeed what will the governance and security situation look like in Gaza going forward? What does a reformed PA look like for example?

What is the prospect for a Palestinian state going forward? What is the international stabilization force? What does that look like, and who's involved?

One of the things that the Egyptian foreign minister told me when I spoke to him ahead of Donald Trump's arrival here today is that he would like to see U.S. boots on the ground. And when I pressed him and said, do you want to see U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza? He said, why not?

Now again that sort of answer suggests that there is a lot to be pinned down at this point.

One regional diplomat, very familiar with what's going on, who had representation in Paris last week at a big meeting there said, we are flying the plane as we build it. And I think that's a really good analogy to what's going on here at the moment.

The Egyptian foreign minister said simply this to me, the expectations going into this summit were to maintain the momentum. This is choreographed to try and ensure that every sort of piece of this sort of is part of a building block to a better future.

A better future, let me tell you, this region wants. It wants to move beyond conflict and it wants to move into a more successful world where, era where, you know, there's economic integration and and it's a more peaceful and prosperous place. But there is a lot of detail as yet to be decided and then, you know, a lot of work on implementation at this point.

Again, does this region support and applaud the efforts of the Trump administration? Absolutely.

Are they convinced that this is the end of the war and, you know, an era, a new dawn for the Middle East? They hope so.

There's a lot of hope at the moment and not a lot of detail. Back to you guys.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: That's an important point. Becky, appreciate it. Thank you.

We are also closely following today the return of hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Large crowds in Gaza welcoming their return. Many of them have been held by Israel without charge. Our coverage of the Gaza ceasefire plan and what comes next continues just ahead.

[14:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We've been watching emotional scenes out of Gaza today as crowds welcomed nearly 2,000 Palestinians released by Israel. More than 1,700 detainees captured by Israeli forces in Gaza and 250 prisoners, some who had been serving life sentences, are now free. And the challenge ahead is reconstructing Gaza and getting critical aid to a population that has been starving.

Joining us now is CNN correspondent Nada Bashir. And Nada, you were there on the ground in the West Bank. What's reaction like there where you are?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Brianna, of course, we saw that huge turnout by Palestinians gathering outside their Mullah cultural palace. They were anticipating that return for some time. And, of course, what we have seen over the course of the day are those emotional reunions from Palestinian prisoners reunited with their family members.

Because as you mentioned, many of them had been in bars -- behind bars for decades. They are serving life sentences, some of them, many of them, long-term sentences for serious offenses. And what we have also seen is, among the 250 released today were some who were released to the occupied West Bank, some to East Jerusalem, but also more than 150 who were deported to Egypt.

And so, there has been some mixed emotions. We saw some family members who had arrived in Ramallah hoping to be reunited with their loved ones, only then to learn that they had, in fact, been deported.

But, of course, we also saw the return of Palestinians who had been detained over the course of the war in Gaza. They were returned to the Gaza Strip, more than 1,700 of them who had been held without charge, many of them, of course, returning unaware of the destruction that they would face upon that return across the Gaza Strip, and, of course, many of them unaware of the fate of their family members and loved ones. And so, of course, this has been a very difficult and emotional day for many of them. This is seen very differently, of course, between Palestinians and Israelis.

Some Israelis feel that this is a very high and heavy price to pay for the release of Israeli hostages. But, of course, here, many Palestinians feel that these men that have been released are, in their eyes, political prisoners. And, of course, there's a lot of trepidation around what happens next, particularly when it comes to Gaza, what happens in terms of the rebuild effort, the hopes around the cease-fire actually holding through phase two.

[14:40:00]

And we have begun to see aid actually getting into the Gaza Strip. We have been hearing from U.N. agencies who have said that there has already been significant progress in stepping up the amount of aid getting in, including humanitarian supplies, food supplies, medical supplies. But, of course, there is a huge amount to be done, a huge amount of destruction, particularly when it comes to the healthcare sector. So a lot of concern around what happens next, whether the cease-fire holds. But there is certainly a sense of cautious optimism here.

KEILAR: All right, Nada Bashir, thank you so much for that report. Live for us from Ramallah -- Erica.

HILL: A Herculean effort is ahead as displaced Palestinians return to their homes or what is left of them in Gaza. That monumental task includes also getting critical humanitarian aid to a starving population.

Joining us in the studio is Hani Almadhoun. He's co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen, a Palestinian-American. You still have family in Gaza. Your parents are in Gaza.

I was asking you in the break, you've spoken to your parents today. How are they doing?

HANI ALMADHOUN, CO-FOUNDER, GAZA SOUP KITCHEN: They were happy, actually. They got some fruits for the first time. The kids had fruits. And that was a big deal. You know, the bar is so low now. It doesn't take much to make the Palestinians smile for the first time and see our crew at the Gaza Soup Kitchen smiling without feeling guilty.

That's real. They're singing. They're celebrating.

But I know every single home of theirs has been lost and been destroyed. My own parents' home that's been standing up as recently as two weeks ago is in dust now. And as I mentioned to you, the home, the original family home, we feel lucky that 50 percent of it is livable. We can use. Basically, the walls are gone, but the roof is still standing. So they're going to figure out how to engineer the heck out of it so they could survive in the winter, in the cold.

HILL: Yes, you also told me in this moment you're hopeful. And your parents and your family in Gaza, are they hopeful in this moment as well?

ALMADHOUN: Absolutely. There is a lot of uncertainties and a lot of fears and a lot of ways these things could restart again. But I take the president for his words where he said the war is over.

For the Palestinians, we feel it's more than a war. And I want to recognize this is a moment where I'm so glad the hostages are back and I'm just sad that my two siblings are not going to be back. And in fact, they have not had a proper burial because of the bombs and all that.

We don't know where my brother is buried anymore because everything is ashes. There is a lot of emotions to process. I hope the Palestinians and the Israelis find a way forward.

And I appreciate the U.S., my adopted home, that pushed for this deal. This is what happened when the U.S. said, hey, we're not going to let stuff slide. We're going to push back.

And they did. And that's what you got. The Israelis are happy and the Palestinians can catch their breath.

HILL: Yes. You worked tirelessly, right, through your organization to do everything you can in this moment, where we have seen these horrific images of starving children, adults. What does this change for you now in this moment? As Palestinians, including your family, are making their way home, the fact that aid is getting in, what will that change for you and what you're able to do in terms of help?

ALMADHOUN: This morning, our team from Al-Aqsa Hospital sent me a picture of a child who is in acute malnourishment. We're keeping an eye on this young fella. He's really not doing well.

So medical evacuations are certainly needed. I've heard there's 100,000 Palestinians who are in dire need for medical attention. Seventy percent of the medications are unavailable in Gaza.

What I look forward to is the U.N., including UNRWA, the largest humanitarian actor, to step up the response. They're the ones who could deliver the humanitarian relief, which is needed, but also the rebuilding and the infrastructure. Because right now we're trying to get water to some communities. My parents were trying, but it's all ditches and they can't drive the truck there.

So we need the municipalities, we need that heavy machinery, and we also need Americans to come and help us and build with us, not to tell us what to do. We love the U.S., we welcome it. We want to be -- we never want to go back to Gaza, that the world knows. We want to really just be a partnership, Palestine, Gaza, is for the people that live there.

HILL: Hani, really appreciate you taking the time to join us today. Thank you. And best of luck to your family as well.

ALMADHOUN: Appreciate you.

HILL: Just ahead here, our breaking news coverage of the Gaza ceasefire continues here. All of the 20 remaining living hostages now freed from Hamas captivity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We're watching major breaking news. For the first time in two years, Hamas is not holding any living hostages in Gaza. This is one of the many reunions taking place today.

Brothers David and Ariel Cunio were kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th. Both of them reunited earlier with family and friends.

I want to bring in Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son Sagui was also taken by Hamas on October 7th from kibbutz Nir Oz. He was released from Hamas' captivity in February of this year.

Jonathan, thank you for joining us today. Can you just give us a sense of how you're feeling?

JOHNATHAN DEKEL-CHEN, SON, SAGUI DEKEL-CHEN, TAKEN HOSTAGE AND RELEASED BY HAMAS: Well, for the most part, overjoyed. David and Ariel Cunio grew up with my kids on kibbutz Nir Oz. So for me, it's like seeing members of my extended family reunited with their mom, wives, children shortly.

It's absolutely joyous to know that these 20 young men can now, for sure, they've been, you know, released from a hellhole and now can, after rehabilitation, get their lives back together.

[14:50:00]

But at the same time, enormous concern for the fate of the 28, well now 24, deceased hostages, making sure that they are all returned to Israel and will have a proper burial amongst their loved ones.

KEILAR: Yes, it is so important. And they are in mourning today. I know there are so many emotions, certainly, that family members are experiencing.

There was a White House staffer who posted a video of your son, Sagui, who is speaking with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu today. And I do want to play for our viewers a little bit of what Sagui said. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAGUI DEKEL-CHEN, FORMER GAZA HOSTAGE: Later on, I was taken captive for 498 days, leaving my wife with just two girls. Ater that, she was pregnant in the bond shelter, for the whole period of time, I -- what I thought is they were all murdered as well.

She later on gave birth, and I got my life back thanks to you and your staff. I came back here, met my baby girl when she was already 14 months old.

And now life is full.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: It is amazing to hear Sagui talk about his experience, Jonathan. I do wonder, can you talk a little bit about how you are seeing Trump's role in getting hostages released, how you're seeing the role of the U.S., both in February and also today?

DEKEL-CHEN: Yes, well, I'd have to go back to a day after the Hamas massacre on October 7th. So as of October 8th, knowing what I know about this current Israeli government and Hamas and the neighborhood in the Middle East, it was absolutely clear to me and a lot of other Israelis that the only way that any of our hostages were going to be able to come home, certainly alive at that time, there were over 240 hostages, was through enormous effort and pressure coming to bear on both sides, meaning on Hamas, of course, and also on Israel's government, that pressure being applied from the Oval Office.

We're currently in the third round of hostage release, one in late 2023, another in early 2025, when Sagui came home, and now, you know, as we speak. And in all three of those chapters in hostage release, the only thing that made it work was an awful lot of effort coming from the Oval Office, the mediators, of course, and some other countries.

And so I've never had a doubt that given their druthers, certainly Hamas, but unfortunately also this particular Israeli government, would, in a sense, prefer a continuous conflict than pay the price, the internal price for them, the political price for them, of getting to a ceasefire, which necessitates a hostage release.

So there are no surprises here. There's no question that in this round and in the earlier round, the role played by President Trump and his team was fundamentally important at getting both sides to yes.

KEILAR: And I know as you're watching your family, friends come home, and you talk about the long path ahead, right? This is day one of that. But we heard today from President Trump hailing today as the beginning of Mideast peace.

Can you speak a little bit about how you see it, how, as you're talking to families who have been closest to this, the hostage families, how they're seeing this moment in time?

DEKEL-CHEN: Well, I think the national trauma in Israel since October 7th, it results in people today, yesterday, tomorrow, not really thinking very much about the medium to long future, just rejoicing in the return of these 20 and hyper-focused on getting the other 24 home after the return of four murdered hostages today.

Look, I came into adulthood as part of the Israeli peace camp.

[14:55:00] October 7th has given me a lot of pause personally in terms of what might the future hold for coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

I'd like to believe that we can work somehow that these last two years have perhaps brought us to our senses, understanding that perpetual conflict does not serve either side. I think in both cases, a change of leadership is necessary, but I think both peoples, or I would hope that both peoples, Gazans and Israelis and Palestinians at large, understand that, you know, the only responsible thing to do right now is to figure out how we de-escalate hatred and push aside ideological demagogues or illegitimate leadership on both sides and find a different way.

Find a different way.

KEILAR: Find a different way. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, thank you so much. We've spoken frequently throughout the last couple of years and it is wonderful to speak with you today.

Thank you for being with us.

DEKEL-CHEN: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: Ahead, we have much more on this historic day in the Middle East. A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts after a quick break.

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