Hostage Release Deal Reached, Israelis Anticipate Return of Captives
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – A deal has been reached to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, sparking widespread elation adn cautious optimism across Israel. the formal agreement is expected to be signed later Thursday in Egypt, a key mediator alongside the united States and Qatar, perhaps bringing the remaining living hostages home within days.
The agreement comes nearly two years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians. The attack led to the abduction of 251 people, of whom 47 remain in gaza, with the Israeli military stating 25 of those are presumed dead.
News of the impending release has prompted spontaneous celebrations. ”There are no words to describe the feeling today. It’s indescribable,like spontaneous joy,excitement,tears,” saeid Rachel Peery,49,a tech sector employee,who left work with colleagues upon hearing the news. ”It’s a day that the entire nation has been waiting for, for two years, every second, every day.”
Businessman Gyura Dishon expressed similar relief. “It’s unbelievable… You couldn’t stop crying,” he said. “It’s like something that you wouldn’t believe can happen and you were wishing for it to happen and then it’s coming true all of a sudden.”
While the prospect of hostages returning home is widely celebrated, sentiments remain complex. In Jerusalem, a newsagent voiced support for the release but stated, “I am against ending the war. They started something, they must pay the heavy price.”
Others acknowledge the pain of loss alongside the hope for the future. A man praying during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot described the news as a “splendid feeling” that “should have been done a long time ago,” but added, ”This is not a happy ending. We have lost many good people. But it was the right thing to do.”
In Tel Aviv, Noam Ekhaus, a 36-year-old photographer and neuroscience researcher, described the atmosphere as transformative. “I haven’t been smiling like this in a while and I don’t think that I’m the only one,” she said. “I’m walking down the street and I’m feeling something different and I’m seeing something different and this is what hope feels like.”
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza following the October 7th attack has killed at least 67,194 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.
