Tel Aviv/Ramallah – In a dramatic and emotional exchange marking a potential turning point in the Middle East conflict, Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages on Monday while Israel began freeing more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners as part of a landmark ceasefire deal that pauses two years of war in Gaza. The hostages, all men, were returned to Israel for medical checks and reunions with their families, while the bodies of 28 deceased captives are also expected to be handed over in the coming days. Buses carrying freed Palestinian detainees arrived to jubilant crowds in Ramallah and Gaza’s Khan Younis, where thousands gathered to welcome them home.
The prisoner release included 250 people serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis and around 1,700 individuals detained without charge during the war. The exchange has sparked scenes of relief and celebration on both sides, even as major questions remain about Gaza’s future governance and the implementation of the U.S.-brokered peace plan. In Tel Aviv, tens of thousands gathered at “hostages square,” cheering as Israeli television announced that the first group of hostages was in the hands of the Red Cross. Newly released images showed 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing after their separate captivity, symbolizing the end of a harrowing chapter that has gripped the nation since Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, 2023.
The ceasefire agreement, negotiated under intense international pressure, is expected to bring a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine after months of siege and bombardment. The war has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, displaced nearly 90% of the territory’s two million residents, and triggered regional instability and global protests. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged his commitment to the peace process in a speech to the Knesset, while U.S. President Donald Trump, who is in Israel before heading to Egypt for a major peace summit, declared to reporters, “The war is over,” even as thorny issues—including Hamas’s future, disarmament, and postwar governance—remain unresolved.
Under the U.S.-proposed plan, an international body would oversee Gaza’s administration through Palestinian technocrats, while an Arab-led security force supported by Palestinian police trained in Egypt and Jordan would gradually take over security responsibilities as Israeli forces withdraw from major population centers. The plan envisions the eventual participation of the Palestinian Authority, contingent on sweeping internal reforms, and hints at a long-term political framework that includes the possibility of a future Palestinian state. As the hostages and prisoners return home, the ceasefire stands as both a fragile truce and a powerful symbol of what could be the beginning of a new chapter after years of bloodshed.