Following Hamas’ release of all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza on Monday, pictures and videos are pouring in of their families’ reunifications.
The hostages have arrived back in Israel, where they will undergo medical checks after 738 days in captivity. Their release was part of a deal aimed at ending two years of war.
When Guy Gilboa-Dalal met his family at the initial reception point following his release, his family shouted and hugged him so tightly they were hanging off of him as they went into another room. Moments later, the group posed for a photo.
Israeli twins Gali and Ziv Berman, 28, were all smiles when they were handed over to the IDF and saw each other face to face. Hostages previously released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.
Photos of the first seven hostages to be freed Monday showed them looking pale but less gaunt than some of the hostages freed in January.
‘Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,’ President Donald Trump declared to the Israeli Knesset during a longer than 40-minute address on Monday.
Trump spoke with families at the Knesset building as they expressed their gratitude for helping to bring them back together with their loved ones.
While Israel started to free hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons, major questions remain unanswered over what happens next, raising the risk of sliding back into war — even as the world pushes for peace.
The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.