Jerusalem, Israel/Cairo, Egypt – Hamas handed over the first group of the last surviving Israeli hostages seized in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Monday, Oct. 13, a key step in ending two years of devastating conflict in Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal pushed by US President Donald Trump.
With hundreds of cheering people gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, Israel’s military said it had received the first seven of 20 surviving hostages after their transfer out of Gaza by the Red Cross.
“I am so excited. I am full of happiness. It’s hard to imagine how I feel this moment. I didn’t sleep all night,” said Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, as she traveled to Reim, an Israeli military camp where the hostages will be transferred.
In Gaza, about a dozen masked and black-clad gunmen, apparently members of Hamas’ armed wing, arrived at Nasser Hospital where a stage and chairs had been laid out to welcome returning Palestinian prisoners.
The remaining 13 confirmed living hostages, along with the bodies of 26 dead hostages and another two whose fate is unknown, are also expected to be released on Monday, along with nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.
The releases are one of the most important parts of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement concluded last week in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where Trump and other world leaders will be meeting later on Monday.
Two years of war have left Gaza in ruins, with nearly all its people homeless, and caused a humanitarian disaster on a massive scale. It has also reshaped the Middle East through Israeli conflicts with Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.
Progress towards a lasting peace now hinges on global commitments that may be taken up by a summit later on Monday of more than 20 world leaders led by Trump in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
