Tel Aviv, MINA – Families of Israeli hostages rejoiced on Thursday following news of a pact between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza and secure the return of all Israeli hostages, both the living and the dead.
At Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where families of captives often gather to demand the return of their loved ones, Einav Zaugauker, the mother of one of the hostages, was overwhelmed with emotion.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t explain what I’m feeling … it’s crazy,” she said with joy, speaking under the red glow of celebratory flares, as reported by Arab News.
“What should I say to him? What should I do? Hug and kiss him,” she added, referring to her son, Matan. “Just tell him I love him, that’s all. And to see his eyes looking at me … it’s incredible — this is the relief I feel.”
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Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, a truce and hostage deal that could pave the way toward ending the bloody two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.
“I have no words to describe it,” said former hostage Omer Shem-tov when asked how he felt at that moment.
Just a day after the second anniversary of the cross-border attack by Hamas fighters that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect negotiations in Egypt resulted in an agreement on the initial stage of what is being called the “Trump 20-Point Framework for Peace.”
Authorities in Gaza said more than 67,000 people have been killed by the Israeli genocide, and most of the enclave has been leveled since Israel launched its military response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack.
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About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 remaining captives believed to still be alive.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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