The two-year war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group appears to have ended with the release of all surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas as part of a truce agreement mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The last group of 20 captives was given to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday, according to the Israeli military, before being moved to Israeli forces in Gaza.
Hamas initially handed over seven hostages to the Red Cross, who were driven to Israeli security forces to be taken into Israel.
Thirteen more captives were later released by Hamas, before being transported to hospitals by helicopter, where they will be reunited with their family.
As word of the final releases circulated, relatives and friends who had gathered for months broke down in tears and applause in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.
Hamas’s move follows the October 9 ceasefire agreement that set out a phased plan: the release of all hostages, a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and a broader roadmap for peace.
Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians were returning to northern Gaza, which Israel had largely destroyed, as the agreed-upon ceasefire began on Friday at noon local time (10 a.m. UK time).
As part of the deal, Israel also promised to release over 2,000 Palestinian inmates.
Earlier on Monday, President Trump, who personally handled the negotiations, arrived in Israel to commemorate what he called “a very special day for peace.” between Hamas and Israeli troops.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed him to Tel Aviv before he left for Jerusalem to meet with the relatives of the captives who had been rescued.
“I think it’s going to hold. People are tired of it — it’s been centuries,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “The war is over. Okay? You understand that?”
In Gaza, the ceasefire brought a rare moment of quiet after years of devastating airstrikes.
Since hostilities began in October 2023, more than 67,000 people have died, according to estimates from Gaza’s health ministry, which the UN has deemed reliable.
Israeli forces are planned to withdraw to certain zones within Gaza under the U.S.-brokered roadmap, while security and assistance distribution will be managed by a multinational peacekeeping force under the direction of a U.S.-led command centre.
Trump is scheduled to travel next to Cairo, where he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will co-host a summit of over 20 world leaders to ratify the ceasefire and outline the next phase of the peace plan.
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