At last, after 738 days of suffering in the dungeons of Gaza, there are no longer any known living hostages being held by Hamas. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said, “We have been informed that all our living hostages have returned to us.”

Early Monday, Hamas released a group of seven Israeli hostages. Several hours later, thirteen more were freed, completing the return of all known living captives held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The first group included Matan Angrest, brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, Omri Miran, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. The second group included Bar Kupershtein, Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, Yosef Chaim Ohana, Segev Kalfon, Avinatan Or, Elkana Buchbut, Maksim Herkin, Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zangauker, David and Ariel Cunio, and Eitan Horn.

All twenty were able to walk unaided. The operation was carried out by the IDF under the name “Returning Home.” The hostages were handed over to Israeli forces, airlifted by Israeli Air Force helicopters, and taken to hospitals for medical evaluation and reunions with their families.

According to the peace arrangement, Hamas will begin returning the remains of twenty-eight murdered hostages later on Monday. However, Hamas has claimed it does not know the locations of some of the bodies, which may delay their return to Israel. The IDF has said it may act to locate and recover those still missing.

From early morning, hundreds of Jewish men gathered at the Nova music festival site, transforming the area into a stirring outdoor minyan.

In earlier stages of the war against Hamas, around 159 hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire, several more were rescued in IDF operations, and the bodies of others were recovered. About forty hostages are believed to have died in captivity.

This latest release took place under the U.S.-brokered peace deal led by President Donald Trump. Trump arrived in Israel to oversee the final stage of the agreement and later addressed the Knesset.

After the handovers were completed, the Families’ Headquarters for the Return of the Hostages issued a statement expressing anger over reports that Hamas intended to return only four of the twenty-eight bodies. The group called it “a blatant violation of the agreement” and urged Israel and the mediators to ensure that Hamas fulfills its obligations.

As part of the deal, hundreds of convicted Hamas terrorists were released from Israeli prisons and bused to Ramallah and other areas under Palestinian Authority control.