---
title: "Hamas deploys fighters as hostages released, in show of strength"
description: "Hamas deployed fighters in Gaza on Monday as a release of hostages seized in the October 7 attacks was under way, Reuters footage showed, in an apparent show of strength by the militant group which President Donald Trump says must disarm."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-13-hamas-deploys-fighters-as-hostages-released-in-show-of-strength/"
published: "2025-10-13T13:01:12"
updated: "2025-10-13T13:01:14"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 222
---

# Hamas deploys fighters as hostages released, in show of strength

> Hamas deployed fighters in Gaza on Monday as a release of hostages seized in the October 7 attacks was under way, Reuters footage showed, in an apparent show of strength by the militant group which President Donald Trump says must disarm.

By Reuters · Published 13 October 2025, 15:01 SAST · Updated 13 October 2025, 15:01 SAST

## Key points
- In a scene that could rival a bad action movie, Hamas fighters were spotted at a southern Gaza hospital, while Israel’s military celebrated the transfer of hostages, setting the stage for a high-stakes negotiation that could either disarm the militant group or leave the region in a perpetual game of geopolitical whack-a-mole.
- Footage reveals Hamas fighters at a southern Gaza hospital, including a member of the elite "Shadow Unit" tasked with hostage protection.
- Israel's offensive has decimated Hamas, resulting in thousands of fighter deaths and significant territorial destruction.
- The first seven of 20 surviving hostages have been transferred out of Gaza, with further releases expected alongside nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
- Future negotiations will focus on disarming Hamas and ending its governance of Gaza, following a ceasefire established last Friday.

## Content

Reuters footage showed dozens of Hamas fighters lined up at a hospital in southern Gaza, and an armed man wearing the insignia of the Hamas armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. His shoulder patch identified him as a member of the elite "Shadow Unit", which Hamas sources say is tasked with guarding hostages.

Israel has pummelled Hamas during its two-year-long Gaza offensive, killing thousands of its fighters and many of its leaders in the onslaught that turned much of the Palestinian territory into a wasteland.

Israel's military said it had received the first seven of 20 surviving hostages after their transfer out of Gaza by the Red Cross. The remaining 13 confirmed living hostages, along with the bodies of 26 dead hostages and another two whose fate is unknown, are also expected to be released on Monday, along with nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.

The release of the remaining hostages in Gaza along with the Palestinian prisoners is the first stage of Trump's plan for ending the Gaza war. A ceasefire has been in place since Friday.

The next phase of negotiations must address demands for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, the territory it has controlled since expelling President Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority in 2007.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Ros Russell)