Emotional scenes in Israel and Palestine as captives from both sides are released

LAST UPDATE | 14 hrs ago

PALESTINIANS FREED FROM Israeli captivity today have arrived in the cities of Khan Younis and Ramallah, where they were greeted by large crowds of cheering people. 

Their release from Israeli detention came after Hamas released all of the remaining living hostages from the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel. 

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the freed Palestinians include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions following attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 hostages seized from Gaza and held without charge since October 2023.

In Redd Cross said it today facilitated the return of some 1,809 Palestinian detainees to Gaza and the West Bank.

Some of those buses arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah while another convoy arrived in Khan Younis, Gaza. 

Earlier this morning, Hamas released the last 20 living Israeli hostages, all of whom have since arrived in Israel. 

The Israeli military said the returned hostages “have undergone an initial medical assessment and are now on their way to the hospitals, where they will reunite with the rest of their family members and receive continued medical care”.

Earlier this morning, the Israeli foreign ministry named the seven people released in the first group as Guy Gilboa Dalal, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Gali and Ziv Berman and Omri Miran.

“We’ve been waiting 738 days to say this: Welcome home,” the foreign ministry posted on X.

The ministry has since released the names of the 13 hostages released in the second group.

They have been named as Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Evyatar David, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kupershtein, Yosef Haim Ohana, Avinaton Or and Matan Zangauker.  

Earlier, while Palestinians in Ramallah awaited the release of hundreds of people held by Israel, an armoured vehicle flying an Israeli flag fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd. As drones buzzed overhead, the group scattered.

The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organisations” risks arrest.

The Israeli military has not commented on the incident. 

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Families and friends of hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross.

Tens of thousands of Israelis were watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv. 

Unlike in previous ceasefires, Hamas is not broadcasting the releases of hostages.

In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with much of the territory flattened by Israeli bombardment, the road to recovery remains long and the future uncertain. 

“I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my heart trembling,” 38-year-old Fatima Salem told the AFP news agency after she returned to her neighbourhood in Gaza City.

“My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had lost – nothing looked the same, even the neighbours’ houses were gone.

“Despite the exhaustion and fear, I felt like I was coming back to my safe place. I missed the smell of my home, even if it’s now just rubble. We will pitch a tent next to it and wait for reconstruction.”

The group representing the families of Israeli hostages welcomed the release this morning in a post on X, but said their struggle was not over. 

“It will not end until the last hostage is located and returned for proper burial. This is our moral obligation. Only then will the people of Israel be whole,” the group said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said earlier today it had begun “a multi-phase operation” to oversee the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Major Israeli TV stations were airing special overnight broadcasts ahead of the hostages’ release as anticipation grew. People gathered near a large screen in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv before dawn. 

‘Ray of hope’ 

US President Donald Trump arrived in Israel this morning and address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. 

Trump will continue to Egypt today, where President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office said he will co-chair a “peace summit” with regional and international leaders. Netanyahu is set to join the meeting, having not originally been scheduled to do so.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will also attend the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

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The summit, co-chaired by Trump and Sisi, will see more than 20 leaders gather to mark the Gaza ceasefire and the exchange of hostages.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas hailed this morning’s releases as “a rare moment of hope in the Middle East”.

“The peace plan requires strong international backing to succeed,” she said on X. 

“The EU stands ready to do its part. On Wednesday, it will restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

“This mission can play an important role in supporting the ceasefire.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris said today’s exchanges marked “a major step forward for peace”.

“No peace plan is perfect. Such a thing does not exist,” he said in a statement. 

“We know that from our own complex history but we also know how even the most complex conflicts and wars can end if everyone commits to peace and political pathways.

“Today, after more than two years of horror, pain and unimaginable loss of life, there is a ray of hope.”

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the UK had played a “vital” role in the peace process.

He wrote on social media: “I would like to acknowledge the vital role of the United Kingdom in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day in Israel.

“In particular, I want to recognize the incredible input and tireless efforts of National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.”

With reporting from AFP and Press Association 

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