Tears, disbelief and relief swept through Gaza and Israel as news broke that a peace deal had been agreed between Hamas and Israel – the first steps to ending the devastating two-year war.
Under the agreement, US President Donald Trump confirmed that “all hostages will be released very soon” and that Israeli troops would begin to withdraw.
In the besieged enclave, many residents reacted with cautious optimism, staring at the few phones and television screens available to them.
As the initial shock wore off, crowds gathering near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to celebrate in the predawn darkness, clapping and cheering.
Following the announcement, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder described this as “a day of hope” for Palestinians.
“People ask if they have hope. Yes, they have hope because hope is the one thing they have agency over. They have hope for a better future,” he added.
In Israel, the news carried a different weight as relatives of the hostages, and on early Thursday, the central Tel Aviv area that’s become known as Hostages Square was a burst of unfettered jubilation.
A champagne bottle was popped open to cheers from the crowd and sweets were dolled out as tears of joy mixed with laughter and long embraces swept through the group.
“Matan is coming home!” yelled Einav Zangauker, one of the most prominent faces of the campaign to free the hostages, referring to her captive son.
“I want to smell his smell. If I have one dream, it is seeing Matan sleep in his own bed,” she said.
Some families and former hostages spoke with US President Donald Trump on the phone to thank him.
The development comes just over two years since Hamas launched an attack on Israel, on October 7 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed, and militants took 251 people hostage.
In the ensuing conflict and Israeli military bombardment of the territory, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed.
On Wednesday night, Trump said that both sides had agreed to the first phase of this 20-point ceasefire and release deal, which he described in a post on Truth Social as marking “the first steps toward a strong, durable, and everlasting peace”.
The President later confirmed the hostages would be released “probably Monday” in his interview with Fox News on Wednesday evening.
“As we speak so much is happening to get the hostages freed.” One Israeli official said Israel expected the living hostages to be released on Sunday.
ITV News also understands that Hamas will agree to the transfer of power in Gaza to a technocratic government.
It is expected that the deal will be signed at 12pm Cairo time (10am BST) on Thursday.
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