Gaza City / Tel Aviv — Hamas and Israel have completed a major prisoner exchange under a ceasefire deal that saw the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians and 20 Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, in what many hope marks the beginning of the end of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza.
Celebrations erupted in Tel Aviv early Monday as Israeli media confirmed that seven surviving captives had been handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), followed hours later by the release of 13 more. The Israeli military said all 20 captives are now back in Israeli territory.
Hamas later announced plans to return the bodies of four deceased captives later in the day.
Palestinians Freed After Years in Detention
Israel’s release included about 1,700 Palestinians detained during the war, many held without charge, and 250 prisoners from Israeli jails. But the moment of joy for some families was tempered by anger and disbelief as 154 of those freed were sent into exile, barred from returning to Palestinian territory.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, crowds cheered as freed detainees arrived by bus. Medical teams stood by to assess their health after what officials described as years of mistreatment.
“I went hungry for two years,” said Shadi Abu Seed, a released prisoner. “They didn’t feed us. They beat us while we were naked, day and night. We were tortured.”
Others, like Yasser Abu Azzoum, waited anxiously to reunite with relatives.
“I can’t speak properly because I’m overwhelmed with joy,” he told Al Jazeera.
Similar celebrations erupted in Ramallah, where hundreds welcomed returning prisoners from the Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank.
Families Reunited in Israel
Israel’s Foreign Ministry identified the released captives as young men and women abducted during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.
Among the first group were Guy Gilboa-Dalal (24), Eitan Mor (25), Matan Angrest (22), Alon Ohel (24), Gali and Ziv Berman (28), and Omri Miran (48).
Another 13 were freed later, including Elkana Bohbot (36) and Rom Braslavski (21).
Families reunited briefly with their loved ones before the captives were flown to hospitals for evaluation.
“He looks amazing — standing on his own two feet,” said Ohel’s parents.
Mor’s mother told Israeli media her son “looks great, although thin and pale.”
Trump Declares ‘The War Is Over’
US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the ceasefire and exchange, arrived in Israel to address the Knesset before heading to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, where he will co-chair an international Gaza summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
During his speech in Jerusalem, Trump declared a “historic dawn of a new Middle East,” crediting Arab and Muslim leaders for pressuring Hamas to release the hostages.
“We had a lot of help — from people you wouldn’t expect,” Trump said. “The war is over.”
He also praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as one of Israel’s “great wartime leaders” and called for his pardon in ongoing corruption cases.
While Trump avoided mentioning Palestinian statehood, he urged Palestinians to “focus on rebuilding rather than tearing Israel down,” pledging US support for Gaza’s reconstruction.
Ceasefire Raises Hopes for Recovery
The ceasefire is expected to open Gaza’s borders to large-scale humanitarian aid deliveries after months of famine and devastation. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza’s health authorities, and millions remain displaced or facing starvation.
Dozens of global leaders — including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres — are attending the summit in Egypt.
Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, however, declined his invitation.
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