President Trump received a hero's welcome in Israel on Monday as the last living hostages stolen by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were set free, an achievement few thought possible until Trump defied the odds with a historic peace deal.
The captives were released in two separate groups of seven and 13 to the Red Cross, the Hill reported.
Their release ends two long years of anguish for Israel, the captives, and their loved ones and stands as a significant diplomatic milestone for Trump, who made a whirlwind tour of Israel and Egypt on Monday to bask in the glory of his achievement.
Joyous, almost surreal scenes played out on Monday as the hostages were finally set free, just days after the second anniversary of the darkest day in Israel's modern history, when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages on October 7th.
The last living hostages spent 738 dark days cut off from their families and the civilized world as their loved ones and others lobbied for their freedom.
Emotions ran high across Israel on Monday as Trump was compared to Cyrus the Great, the Persian emperor who freed the ancient Israelites from the Babylonian captivity. Trump spoke to a rapturous crowd at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, where he gave a triumphant speech.
"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."
Despite the warm feelings across Israel, not all families were celebrating Monday.
Hamas released only four of the deceased hostages among 28 presumed dead, leading the Hostage and Missing Families Forum to accuse the group of a "blatant breach" of the ceasefire deal. It came as Israel released 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, in accordance with the peace agreement.
Speaking at a peace summit in Egypt, Trump said that Hamas is searching for the bodies of the remaining captives.
"It’s a pretty gruesome task… They know the areas [where they’re located] and… they’re doing it in conjunction with Israel, and they’ll going to be finding quite a few of them,” Trump said.
Under Trump's 20-point peace deal, Hamas must also commit to disarm and abdicate rule in war-torn Gaza, terms that some are skeptical the terror group will honor.
Still, the release of the 20 hostages Monday is an incredible victory for Trump, for Israel, and for all of humanity.
