On October 13, Hamas gunmen released the last 20 living Israeli hostages, transferred to the Red Cross Society. On the same day, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees under a ceasefire mediated by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
At the vi vi vi Square in Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis hugged and cried emotionally when hearing the news of their loved ones returning. In the Gaza Strip, joy burst out as a convoy of trucks carrying Palestinian prisoners rolled back to local hospitals, in the cheers and the flags waving.
Speaking to the Knesset, US President Donald Trump said: The sky is calm, the guns are silent, the alarm bells stop ringing. The light of dawn today reflects on the resurgent Holy Land". He called it the end of a two-year nightmare and affirmed that the Gaza deal could be the greatest deal in his diplomatic career.
Immediately after the announcement, Mr. Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi chaired a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with more than 20 European and Islamic leaders to discuss the reconstruction and governance of Gaza after the war. Israel and Hamas were not present, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was present and expressed his desire for the Palestinian government to participate in Gaza management - something Tel Aviv still opposes.
The ceasefire also ended one of Israel's largest military operations since 2023. Previously, the attacks took the lives of more than 68,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of Gaza City, according to the local Ministry of Health.
However, many obstacles are still waiting: 26 Israeli hostages are believed to have died and 2 are missing, while Hamas said it needed time to recover bodies because many graves have not been identified.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is also very serious, with hundreds of thousands of people facing hunger and fuel shortages, forcing the United Nations to call for an acceleration of large-scale aid in food, health care and accommodation.
However, the joyful and relaxing atmosphere still spread on both sides. In Israel, hostages were welcomed as heroes - one who held the Israeli flag high and shaped a heart with his hands. In Gaza, prisoners released to raise their victory signs through the windows of buses, amid cries and cheers.
President Trump, who sees the end of the Gaza war as a turning point to start Middle East peace, added that many other countries will join the Abraham Accords, an initiative to normalize US- Arabian relations, and even hinted at the possibility of a peace deal between Iran and Israel.
How wonderful would it be if that became a reality, he said, amidst the prolonged applause in the Knesset.
