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TEL AVIV: Two years of pain were drowned out by tears of joy at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Thursday, as Israelis celebrated President Donald Trump’s announcement of the first phase of a deal aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas.
“I am overjoyed, overwhelmed, happy — all the good feelings in the world,” Daniel Lifshitz told Fox News Digital at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square.
Lifshitz’s grandfather, Oded Lifshitz, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, and was later killed in Hamas captivity. His remains were returned to Israel in Feb. 2025 for burial.
TRUMP PEACE DEAL TRIGGERS 72-HOUR COUNTDOWN FOR HAMAS TO RELEASE 48 HOSTAGES FROM GAZA
“When your loved one is a deceased hostage, your soul can’t rest. You don’t know what to do; you don’t have a place to mourn. You can’t invent a grave and go there,” Lifshitz said.
“There’s the fear that some of the hostages won’t return on their feet, that some of the bodies won’t be found. We will be here until the last one is brought home, but today is a holiday.”
On Wednesday, Trump announced the agreement, writing, “This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting peace.”
Israelis wearing Trump face masks and waving U.S. flags or signs thanking the American president gathered in the square in a scene of euphoria, snapping photos with fellow supporters, chanting “The people of Israel live,” and brimming with hope as the nation prepares to welcome home hostages abducted by Hamas 733 days ago.
Galit Even-Chen was among thousands of Israelis to mark the occasion at Hostages Square.
“I feel the need to identify with happiness,” she told Fox News Digital as she broke into tears. “To share in the families’ joy, to be here and believe that it’s really happening.
“Until the last hostage comes back, it’s not over,” she continued. “We are still in trauma; we’re not even post-trauma yet. We still need to understand what happened here. It feels unreal — and today is a kind of catharsis, a relief that we are beginning something better.”
TRUMP SAYS ‘WHOLE WORLD CAME TOGETHER’ TO SECURE ISRAEL- HAMAS PEACE DEAL AFTER MONTHS OF DEADLOCK
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum Headquarters overnight Wednesday expressed its “deep gratitude” to Trump and his team for the leadership and determination that led to the “historic breakthrough.”
“There are 48 hostages still held by Hamas. Our moral and national duty is to bring them all home, both the living and the fallen. Their return is essential for the healing and renewal of Israeli society as a whole. We will not rest, and we will not be silent until the last hostage is home,” the statement said.
Harrosh Menashe, the uncle of Hamas hostage Elkana Bohbot, who was taken at the Supernova festival on Oct. 7 and is presumed alive, told Fox News Digital that Trump’s announcement was a “relief” as he visited Kibbutz Nahal Oz’s tent, in memory of the victims of the massacre, at the square.
“We already feel somewhat lighter, not as heavy as before. We hope to return to what we once were — but it must happen as soon as possible. For now, we’re floating in the air; we need to stay grounded and watch how things unfold,” Menashe added.
The Israeli military announced preparations to receive the 20 living hostages at the Re’im base, located close to the Gaza border, including the creation of a dedicated area where they will be checked by medical officials and freshen up before reuniting with their families. Thereafter, the freed captives will be flown to hospitals across Israel, which have already cleared dedicated departments.
Earlier this week, families of hostages sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, calling on the body to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump as he had “made possible what many said was impossible.”
“In this past year, no leader or organization has contributed more to peace around the world than President Trump,” the letter stated. “While many have spoken eloquently about peace, he has achieved it. While others have offered empty promises, he has delivered tangible results that have saved countless lives.”
Trump and first lady Melania thanked the forum in a letter sent on Tuesday—the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre.
“My entire administration has been touched by the fact that, through the unimaginable pain and suffering of spending two years not knowing where your loved ones are, you have continued telling their stories and advocating on their behalf,” Trump wrote.
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