Israel moved through a day of powerful emotion Monday, welcoming home the last group of living hostages from Gaza while confronting the painful return of the dead. The releases came as U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Israel for a brief but historic visit, then flew to Egypt to preside over the signing of a ceasefire agreement he declared would “hold for generations.”
The day that began in tense anticipation unfolded into a mix of joy, sorrow, and political ceremony that Israelis described as both an ending and a beginning.
David and Ariel Cunio meeting their families
After 738 days in captivity, 20 Israeli hostages returned alive from Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Their names are Evyatar David, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Matan Angrest, Nimrod Cohen, Bar Kuperstein, Yosef Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Elkana Bohbot, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Eitan Mor, Omri Miran, Alon Ahel, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, and Rom Braslavski.
All had been held since October 7, 2023. They were released through the International Committee of the Red Cross and handed to Israeli forces inside Gaza before being flown by helicopter to the IDF’s base in Re’im for medical checks and reunions with relatives. From there, they were transferred to hospitals across central Israel.
Eitan Horn meeting his family
Across the country, crowds gathered in public squares and outside hospitals waving flags and singing. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, thousands held yellow ribbons and photos of the captives as television screens showed the helicopters landing. “After two years, they are home,” one woman said through tears.
Matan Angrest and his family on their way to Ichilov Medical Center
(צילום: דובר צה"ל)
At hospitals, families met their loved ones for the first time in more than two years.
Elkana Bohbot hugged his wife Rivka, who repeated through tears, “It’s over, you’re home, you’re a fighter.” Their son Ra’am, who had turned five during his father’s captivity, clung to him.
Avinatan Or, whose abduction with his girlfriend Noa Argamani at the Nova music festival became one of the war’s defining images, was reunited with her.
Avinatan Or meeting his parents and Noa Argamani
Evyatar David, once filmed by his captors digging what they called his own grave, smiled as he embraced his family. His mother, Vicki, said simply, “Our boy is home.”
Matan Angrest, a tank soldier, called singer Omer Adam from his hospital bed and said, “Your songs kept me sane.”
Bar Kuperstein hugging his father
Bar Kuperstein’s father, recovering from a stroke, rose from his wheelchair to hug his son. “We waited for this moment every day,” he said.
The twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, both thin but smiling, waved from a helicopter window shouting “Am Yisrael Chai” — the people of Israel live.
At Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv held a tribute during a soccer match for the twins and fellow hostage Omri Miran, raising banners with their names as an IDF helicopter carrying them passed overhead.
Later, footage showed Omri Miran playing with his two daughters in a hospital room, Eitan Mor smiling with his parents, Maxim Herkin flashing a victory sign, and Rom Braslavski’s mother greeting him with the words, “You’re so handsome.”
The celebrations were tempered by anger over Hamas’s failure to return all of the bodies of those killed in captivity.
Israel’s military and the Shin Bet security service said four coffins had been handed over — containing the bodies of Yossi Sharabi, Daniel Peretz, Bipin Joshi, and Guy Illouz — while others were still being transferred. Officials said Hamas had agreed to return 28 bodies by noon but missed the deadline.
“Hamas must fulfill the agreement and make every effort to return all the fallen,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
Defense Minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of a “gross violation” and warned it would “be met accordingly.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum demanded that the government suspend the ceasefire implementation until Hamas complies. “An agreement must be respected by both sides,” it said. “We will not rest until every hostage — living and deceased — is home.”
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the army would continue efforts to bring back the remains. “Our mission is not complete,” he said. “We will not rest until every fallen hostage is returned for a Jewish burial.”
Palestinian prisoners welcomed in Gaza
Under the terms of the deal, Israel released 1,718 Palestinian detainees, including 154 deported to Egypt. Footage from Gaza and Ramallah showed armed men firing into the air and crowds celebrating the return of prisoners. Palestinian outlets described the scenes as jubilant, though most did not mention the attacks for which many of the detainees had been jailed.
In Israel, the government approved the releases after last-minute adjustments to the lists. Minister Orit Strock opposed the move, warning that the freed prisoners could form “the next terror infrastructure.”
While Israel celebrated the hostages’ return, President Donald Trump landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on his first visit to Israel since the war began. He was greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog before heading to the Knesset in Jerusalem.
In the Knesset guestbook, Trump wrote: “A great and beautiful day, a new beginning, a dawn of a new day.”
Trump's full speech at the Knesset
(Video: Knesset Channel)
Addressing lawmakers, Trump said, “The war is over. Hamas will comply with the agreement.” He described the ceasefire as a “comprehensive, detailed framework” that included “rules and regulations” to ensure peace.
“This is a day of victory for Israel and for peace,” he said.
Trump met privately with Netanyahu and Herzog but did not visit freed hostages at hospitals, citing time constraints. He departed for Egypt later that afternoon.
In Sharm el-Sheikh, Trump presided over the formal signing of the Gaza ceasefire alongside Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
“It took 3,000 years to get to this point — can you believe it? And it will last,” Trump said at the ceremony. He acknowledged that Hamas had not yet returned most of the bodies but said, “They are working to locate them.”
Trump meeting with el-Sissi in Sharm el-Sheikh
Trump praised Erdogan as “a tough man, one of the strongest leaders in the world,” adding, “I like the tough ones better than the soft ones.”
The summit was attended by Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Britain’s Keir Starmer, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who briefly shook Trump’s hand.
Netanyahu did not attend, citing the Sukkot holiday. Turkish officials later claimed Erdogan had threatened to boycott the event if Netanyahu appeared.
Before the signing, Trump met with el-Sissi to discuss the next phase of the plan, including the demilitarization of Gaza and the establishment of a governing council without Hamas.
First published: 06:40, 10.13.25