The moment they have been praying for: Emotional images show Israeli hostages reunited with their parents, families and friends after 738 days held captive in Gaza

The day Israel has dreamt of for more than two years finally arrived today as the last of the hostages returned from Gaza.

In emotional scenes, captives who had spent 738 days held by Hamas were reunited with parents, families, friends and loved ones.

Tears of unimaginable joy were shed as former hostages ran straight into the arms of loved ones, who have spent every day since October 7, 2023 fighting for their release from gruelling captivity in the enclave’s underground tunnel network.

All 20 living hostages have been released following the Donald Trump-brokered deal between Israel and Hamas, that aims to bring an end to the devastating war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

Omri Miran, 48, was photographed reuniting with his wife Lishay Miran-Lavi, where he spoke to his daughters Roni, 4, and Alma, 2, on a tablet while at the Re’im base.

He was abducted from his home in Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023, when Alma was only six months old. Since then, she has learned how to say ‘Abba’ (‘Daddy’ in Hebrew).

Omri, the oldest captive, was part of the first group of Israeli hostages to be released this morning, alongside Matan Angrest, 22; twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, 28; Alon Ohel, 24; Eitan Mor, 25; and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24.

They were followed by a second group of 13 living hostages, including Matan Zangauker, 25; Nimrod Cohen, 21; Ariel Cunio, 28; David Cunio, 35; Evyatar David, 24; Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25; Elkana Bohbot, 36; Avinatan Or, 32; Bar Kupershtein, 23; Segev Kalfon, 27; Rom Braslabski, 21; Eitan Horn, 38; and Maxim Herkin, 37.

Addressing the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in a historic speech, U.S. President Donald Trump said: ‘After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent and the sirens are still.’

Emotional footage shows Matan reuniting with his mother Einav Zangauker in a tearful embrace.

For two years, Einav has been a ferocious anti-Netanyahu protester for her son, delivering speeches every Saturday night at demonstrations calling on the government to cease fighting in Gaza and return the captives.

She, alongside other hostage families, has spent the last 738 days tirelessly meeting world leaders, speaking to parliaments, and marching through the streets to make their voices heard.

Alon, Guy and Omri were flown by Israeli Air Force helicopters to hospital after an initial medical evaluation, the military said.

While Hamas has been instructed to hand over 28 deceased bodies as part of the peace deal, it is expected to only hand over four this afternoon.

It comes as the terror group has previously admitted they do not know where the remains of all the dead hostages are.

It is believed that some of the remains have been lost and buried under the rubble in Gaza.

A joint multinational task force led by Israel, the U.S., Turkey, Qatar and Egypt is being established to locate any bodies that are not returned.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said the terror group was guilty of a ‘blatant breach’ of the ceasefire deal by not returning all of the deceased today.

The U.S. president arrived in Israel this morning, where he delivered a momentous address to the Knesset. He will then head to Egypt for an international peace summit geared towards ending the war in Gaza. 

‘After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families,’ Trump said.

‘Twenty-eight more precious loved ones are coming home at last to rest in this sacred soil for all of time.’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced that he will bestow the American leader with the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour – the country’s highest civilian honour. 

Trump signed the Knesset guest book and wrote: ‘It is a great honour for me. This is a beautiful day. A new beginning.’ 

Speaking to reporters earlier on Air Force One as he made his way to Israel, the president said: ‘The war is over.’

‘People are tired of it, it’s been centuries, not just recent,’ he said. ‘The ceasefire will hold, we’re going to make sure it holds.’

Families and friends of the hostages broke out into wild cheers as Israeli television channels announced that their loved ones were being released. 

Tens of thousands of Israelis were also watching the transfers at public screenings across the country, with a major event being held in Tel Aviv. 

British-Israeli Emily Damari, freed from captivity last January, was seen watching her best friends Gali and Ziv being released in a private viewing session with close family and friends.

She was sat beside Romi Gonen who was held with her for much of their time in captivity.

Now the loved ones of the remaining 14 are waiting anxiously.

Dozens of friends of Evyatar David have been gathered together near Tel Aviv since 8am on Sunday and have not slept.

Yuval Ovadia, 24, student from Tel Aviv, told the Daily Mail: ‘I have been here since 8am. It’s such a stressful time, so having everyone together helps

‘It’s friends from all around – we met because of this situation.’

Guy Melamed, 24, student from Zippori, northern Israel, said: ‘Some of us have been here since we heard the news at 8am yesterday. We knew it was happening in the next 24 hours so we said we need to meet up.

‘We needed to be together to be here for each other. As much as you want to fall asleep, it’s the anticipation. It’s just too much – two years we have been waiting for this moment.

‘It’s very exciting.’

Evyatar was due for release last January but was instead cruelly forced to watch others released before being taken back into captivity.

Hamas then released horrifying footage of his starved body as he was forced to dig his own grave in a tunnel in Gaza.

The hundreds of Israelis gathered in Hostages Square to celebrate the peace deal broke into huge cheers as helicopters carrying some of the freed hostages flew overhead. 

After speaking to hostage families and addressing the Knesset, Trump will depart Israel for a peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries.

There, politicians will try and finalise an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

A surge of humanitarian aid is expected to follow into famine-stricken Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are left homeless.

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners mark a key step toward ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group.

The hostages’ return caps a painful chapter for Israel. Since they were captured in the October 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war, newscasts have marked their days in captivity and Israelis have worn yellow pins and ribbons in solidarity.

Tens of thousands have joined their families in weekly demonstrations calling for their release.

As the war dragged on, demonstrators accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for political purposes, even as he accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, under heavy international pressure and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.

With the hostages´ release, the sense of urgency around the war for many Israelis will be effectively over.

Onboard Air Force One on his way to Israel, Trump said: ‘Getting them was amazing actually, because we were involved, and they were in places that you don’t want to know about.’

He addressed reporters just before boarding the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and spoke of the enormity of the deal.

‘There are 500,000 people, yesterday and today, in Israel and also the Muslim and Arab countries are all cheering. Everybody’s cheering at one time – that’s never happened before,’ he said.

‘Usually, if you have one cheering, the other isn’t – the other is the opposite. This is the first time everybody is amazed, and they’re thrilled.

‘It’s an honor to be involved, and we’re going to have an amazing time, and it’s going to be something that’s never, never happened before.’

He went on: ‘Everybody is happy. Whether it’s Jewish or Muslim or the Arab countries, every country is dancing in the streets. It’s a point in time I don’t think you’d ever see again. They’ve never seen it for 3,000 years.’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday night that Monday marked ‘the beginning of a new path’.

He told the relatives of the remaining hostages that their release was a ‘historic event that some people did not believe would happen’.

Netanyahu added: ‘Together we will continue to win, and with the help of God, together we will guarantee the eternity of the country and land of Israel.’

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank rejoiced as buses carrying dozens of released prisoners from Ofer Prison arrived in Beitunia, near Ramallah, as Israel began releasing more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees as part of the ceasefire deal.

Later, giant crowds were gathered to greet buses carrying other prisoners arriving at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis.

The prisoners include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge. They will be returned to the West Bank or Gaza or sent into exile.

More than 150 prisoners were sent to Egypt by Israel and arrived at Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt early Monday afternoon, according to an Egyptian official, who had direct knowledge of the deal’s implementation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.

Israel will also return the remains of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli hostage. 

Sir Keir Starmer will also attend a peace summit in Egypt where he is expected to heap praise on Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

He will say: ‘We stand determined to seize this opportunity to deliver a lasting peace and a stable, secure future for the whole region … the UK will support the next stage of talks to ensure the full implementation of the peace plan, so that people on both sides can rebuild their lives in safety and security.’

But Sir Keir will have bridges to build after Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel rejected Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson’s claim that Britain had played a ‘key role’ in the ceasefire deal.

In the Israeli parliament, audience members wore red caps that, instead of displaying Trump’s signature slogan Make America Great Again, read: ‘Trump the Peace President.’ 

‘Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the State of Israel has ever had in the White House,’ Netanyahu said, before crowds started chanting ‘Trump’ in the chamber. 

‘I’m committed to this peace, you are committed to this peace, and together we will achieve this peace,’ the Israeli prime minister said.

He will not attend Trump’s Sharm el-Sheikh summit because of its proximity to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, according to a statement by the prime minister’s office.

‘The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his efforts to expand the circle of peace – peace through strength,’ the statement said.

As the U.S. president addressed the Knesset, leftwing lawmakers interrupted his speech by holding up signs that read: ‘Recognise Palestine.’

Speaker Amir Ohana shouted a call for order amid loud disapproval against the protesting Mks, Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif from the Arab-Jewish Hadash party, who were swiftly removed from the chamber. 

‘That was very efficient,’ Trump said after the protesters were escorted out. 

The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organisation representing many of the hostage families, said four bodies were expected to return to Israel on Monday. 

The group said it was ‘shocked and dismayed’ that so few were coming back.

An international task force will work to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.

In his Knesset speech, Trump told Israeli lawmakers their country had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace after two years of war against Hamas and conflicts with Hezbollah and Iran.

‘Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,’ he declared.

‘Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,’ Trump said.

‘Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.’

Despite the optimism expressed by Trump, many thorny questions remain. Among the most difficult is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s far north, and the wide strip along the length of Gaza’s border with Israel.

The future governance of Gaza also remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s government should be worked out among Palestinians.

Later Monday, Trump will head to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader Middle East.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort town to attend the meeting.

The plan envisions an eventual role for Abbas’ Palestinian Authority – something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.

The plan also calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are now in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, another nonstarter for Netanyahu.

While major questions remain about the future of Hamas and Gaza, the exchange of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest war ever between Israel and the militant group. 

The ceasefire is also expected to see a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

The war began when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the dead were women and children.

The toll is expected to grow as bodies are pulled from rubble previously made inaccessible by fighting.

The war has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and displaced about 90 percent of its some two million residents. It has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.