Among them was Omri Miran, who embraced his two young daughters for the first time since being taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023.
The hostages were airlifted by helicopter from the Reim military base to hospitals across Israel for medical checks and treatment. Footage released by the Israeli Defence Forces showed one of the freed captives, Bar Kupershtein, flying over Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where crowds had gathered to witness their long-awaited return.
Earlier in the day, Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire agreement brokered to end the two-year war in Gaza. The truce marks a turning point in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and left large parts of the Palestinian enclave in ruins.
