The historic ceasefire between Israel and Palestine has seen the release of the living hostages who had been captured by Hamas.
The remaining Israeli hostages were exchanged with the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during the two-year war between Israel in Hamas, The Associated Press reported.
The ceasefire started on Friday.
The war started on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed and 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas in a surprise attack on southern Israel.
In the fighting over the past 738 days, more than 67,800 Palestinians have been killed, the AP reported.
Israel is releasing more than 1,900 prisoners in exchange for the 20 living hostages in a deal that was brokered with President Donald Trump.
The freed hostages were taken to the Re’im military facility for preliminary medical screenings and to be reunited with their families before being taken to hospitals in Israel to begin their recovery, CNN reported.
The bodies of four of the hostages killed in Gaza will be returned, while Palestinian militants continued to hold 28 bodies, which the Hostages Family Forum called a “blatant violation of the agreements by Hamas,” the AP reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during an address to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, called the return of the hostages “a moment of indescribable joy,” telling Trump, “You brought America back again, to the driver’s seat.”
He also told Trump, “Mr. President, you are committed to this peace. I am committed to this peace. And together, Mr. President, we will achieve this peace,” CNN reported.
Trump called the ceasefire the “dawn of a new Middle East,” The Washington Post reported.
“After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent. The sirens are still. And the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace,” Trump said. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is “profoundly relieved” that the hostages have been released.
“I urge all parties to build on this momentum and to honor their commitments under the ceasefire to end the nightmare in Gaza,” Guterres said, according to the AP. “The United Nations is working to support all efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and alleviate the suffering of civilians.”
Trump will be going to “the Summit for Peace,” where leaders from Turkey, Jordan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, the United Nations and the European Union will meet in a US and Egyptian-led summit.
Netanyahu will not attend the summit because of the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will attend.
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