Hamas has released all 20 surviving Israeli hostages from Gaza under the first stage of a ceasefire agreement that looks to end two years of war between Israel and the Palestinian group.
The Israeli military confirmed on Monday that seven captives; Matan Angrest, Gali and Ziv Berman, Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, Omri Miran, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal were handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and brought back to Israel.
Their release followed earlier handovers, completing the list of 20 living hostages who had been held in Gaza since 2023.
According to the agreement, Hamas will also return the bodies of 28 deceased hostages still in Gaza. In exchange, Israel has begun releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees held without formal charges.
Israel has stated that Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader long demanded by Palestinians, will not be among those released.
Scenes of relief and emotion were reported across Israel as the freed captives reunited with their families in hospitals.
In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian families also welcomed home their relatives, though Israeli authorities prohibited public celebrations and media interviews.
Speaking in a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the moment “an emotional evening” and urged Israelis to see it as “the beginning of a new path… of rebuilding and unity.”
Notably, some families of the former hostages accused the government of acting too slowly, saying they prioritised political interests rather than the hostages’ release.
The ceasefire, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, temporarily halts all fighting. It allows humanitarian aid into Gaza and sets the stage for talks on reconstruction and the territory’s future administration.
Further phases are expected to include a gradual Israeli troop withdrawal and discussions in Cairo involving more than 20 regional and international partners.
In remarks to Israel’s parliament, former U.S. President Donald Trump praised the agreement, calling the Middle East “a region transformed” while Netanyahu described him as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had.”
Trump is scheduled to travel to Cairo for a summit on Gaza’s post-war governance.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched attacks that killed about 1,400 people in Israel and took dozens hostage.
Nonetheless, Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza left more than 36,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health authorities, and destroyed much of the enclave’s infrastructure.
An estimated 1.5 million residents were displaced, and many areas remain without functioning hospitals, schools, or utilities.
International agencies have described Gaza’s condition as a severe humanitarian crisis.
