The world on Monday celebrated the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, as the first phase in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan held in the shaken region.
Twenty Israeli hostages in Gaza were transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross and returned home, according to the Israeli military. Almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were being released by Israel as part of the ceasefire deal.
Cheers, cries and Hebrew songs rang out in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, where thousands of Israelis had gathered to celebrate the homecoming.
President Donald Trump traveled to the Middle East to greet the hostages as part of a whirlwind visit to Israel and Egypt while back home the U.S. government entered its 13th day in a shutdown. The ceasefire the United States helped broker continues to hold between Israel and Hamas.