Exchange world: Israel welcomes those who returned from captivity in Gaza

Crowds of Israelis filled the so-called "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv when it became known that Hamas had handed over to Israel the last living prisoners held in Gaza since October 2023. People cried, hugged and sang, realizing that after 738 days of captivity, 20 Israelis were finally returning home. The release was part of a massive deal between Israel and the Hamas movement, brokered by the United States. In response, the Israeli side released 1,966 Palestinian prisoners, 154 of whom will be deported from Palestine. Against this background, US President Donald Trump announced the end of the war in Gaza and arrived in Israel to celebrate the release of hostages and address the Knesset.

All the hostages are at home

The hostage square in Tel Aviv exploded with shouts of joy, tears and songs when it became known that the Hamas movement had handed over the hostages released on Monday to Israel. Hundreds of Israelis came to the square at sunrise, holding portraits of relatives and flags with yellow ribbons, the symbol of the campaign for the release of prisoners. After the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, their families set up a permanent camp in the square next to the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, this place has become the center of rallies and protests demanding the release of hostages.

At this point, there were no more living hostages left in Hamas captivity. The bodies of 28 dead Israelis are still in the Gaza Strip. During the attack on October 7, 2023, Hamas militants and their allies captured 251 people and took them to Gaza. Most were released during the previous truces, but 47 remained in captivity — only 20 of them survived.

Footage of video calls between prisoners and their families is appearing in the Israeli media, the first in two years. One of the recordings shows Einav Zangawker talking to his son Matan, who is still in Gaza. "You're coming home. You're all going home. There is no more war," she says, not hiding her tears.

Photos of other hostages, brothers David and Ariel Kunio and Nimrod Cohen, were also published during a video call with their loved ones. The brothers' mother, Silvia Kunio, told Channel 12 that she was able to see her sons.: "I didn't hear anything, but I saw them, and that's enough."

The head of the Israeli Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov, said that the entire healthcare system has been mobilized to receive the 20 released alive and return the bodies of the dead hostages. "Along with joy and hope, there is also great sorrow for the families whose loved ones will be interred in Israel," he said.

"Israel has been waiting for this day for almost two years — since the Hamas attack, which became the most tragic event in the country's recent history," Roman Yanushevsky, editor—in—chief of the website of the 9th Israeli TV channel, told Izvestia.

He said that at Kibbutz Reim, the released were met by doctors and security specialists. After the initial examination, the doctors will decide on further actions. If one of them is in serious condition, the hostages will be taken by helicopter to the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon or to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. The rest will be transferred to specially prepared departments of Shiba, Beilinson or Ichilov hospitals in the center of the country.

In response to the hostage transfer, Israel released 1,966 Palestinian prisoners. Among them, 154 people will be deported to other countries. They have been convicted of serious crimes, including terrorist attacks and illegal possession of weapons, and will not be able to return to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. Among them are members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The deportation process is coordinated with intermediaries from Qatar and Egypt with the support of international humanitarian organizations. The main destinations may be Egypt, which has already hosted deportees, Turkey, Algeria and Lebanon.

Hani Salah, an expert on Palestinian resistance issues, noted that the events witnessed by the world represent a historic achievement for Palestinian prisoners and demonstrate the resilience of the resistance.

According to him, Israel was able to secure the release of the hostages only taking into account the conditions set by Hamas, as a result of which more than 3.9 thousand Palestinian prisoners were released in three attempts at negotiations.

— Israel sought to limit the number of released Palestinians serving life sentences during the negotiations. According to my information, most of the released Palestinians belong to the Fatah party, so Hamas sought the release of prisoners regardless of their party or political affiliation," Salah told Izvestia.

Mahmoud Zakut, director of hospitals at the Gaza Ministry of Health, said the day had become "a holiday for the entire Palestinian people." According to him, despite the difficult situation in the sector, medical services are prepared to receive the released. The previously established field hospital, designed for those wounded during the fighting, will now be used to examine returned prisoners.

Trump's speech at the Knesset

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced that "the war in Gaza is over," expressing confidence in the strength of the agreement reached. He went to Israel to take part in a ceremony marking the release of hostages.

However, the country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the military campaign has not yet been completed and warned of "serious security challenges" to be faced in the near future.

Arriving at the Knesset, Trump called his visit a "great honor" and thanked the Israeli Prime minister for the meeting. He stated that the conflict in Gaza was over, and the Hamas movement had agreed to implement the disarmament clause stipulated in the peace plan. The American leader left an entry in the guest book of the Israeli parliament, calling the day of the hostages' release "great." And Israeli ministers, waiting for the speech of the US president in the Knesset, wore baseball caps with the inscription "Trump, President of the world."

Speaking in the Israeli parliament, the American president said that "from Gaza to Iran, bitter hatred has brought nothing but poverty, suffering and failure." He stressed that this day is not only a victory for Israel, but also the "historic dawn of a new Middle East," where the countries of the region must choose peace over violence.

The American leader noted that Israel has achieved everything that could be won by military force, and now it is time to turn these successes into "the main prize — peace and prosperity."

And the Gazans, he said, should focus on restoring stability, security, and economic development. Israel, in turn, is ready to "extend a hand of friendship" even to Iran.

While in the Knesset with Trump, Netanyahu held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The Prime minister's office announced that Netanyahu would not be able to attend the summit, which will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, due to the start of the Simchat Torah holiday.

The Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement) said they were committed to a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip as long as Israel respected it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the plan proposed by Washington concerns only the Gaza Strip and does not answer the key question of what will be the fate of the territories on the West Bank of the Jordan River. At the same time, the diplomat noted that the US Gas plan, despite its limitations, is the only practical proposal under discussion.

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov on Monday welcomed the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip as part of the implementation of the first stage of the agreements between Israel and Hamas, which were reached in accordance with Trump's plan and with the mediation of a number of countries in the region. "In the near future, they will be able to hug their relatives, loved ones and friends who are looking forward to their return," Viktorov said in a statement.

He expressed particular satisfaction that Maxim Kharkin, a native of Donbass, had also been released. The Ambassador stressed that Russian diplomats have been in contact with interested parties throughout the entire time and have made efforts to ensure his early release from captivity.