Good morning. It's Tuesday, October 14th.
I'm Shamita Basu.
This is Apple News Today.
On today's show, mounting trade tensions between the U.S. and China,
why government ethics reform measures are failing across the country,
and Halloween might be less chocolatey this year.
But first, to the latest from Gaza and what comes next.
Yesterday, all the living hostages were reunited with their families.
Around 250 hostages were taken by Hamas during the October 7th attack,
but only 20 survivors made it through two years of captivity to see a peace deal finally emerge.
Among the 20 people released on Monday include 24-year-old friends Evietar David and Guy Gilboa Delal,
who were kidnapped from the Nova Desert Music Festival, where Hamas killed 400 attendees.
A video Hamas released over the summer showed an emaciated David digging his own grave.
Also freed was 25-year-old Matan Zenghakar.
That's Matan embracing his mother, A'Nav,
who'd become a household name in Israel as she demanded the release of the hostages.
For those seeking the bodies of their deceased relatives, though, there was little sign of closure.
Only four bodies have been recovered and identified as hostages so far.
The fate of the hostages has dominated Israeli politics for the past two years,
as more and more citizens called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prioritize their release over the destruction of Hamas.