Israel and Hamas Implement Ceasefire as Hostage Release Begins

"...Ofir Braslavski is smiling for the first time in two years...."

"...It's a stark change of face for the father of 21-year-old hostage Rom Braslavski, who hit an emotional low in August after seeing his weeping, emaciated son in footage released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group from inside Gaza...."

"...Like the hundreds of people in front of him, Braslavski can't wait for the weekend to end...."

"...Among the crowd, it is US President Donald Trump to whom the admiration and thanks are directed, with signs, American flags and effigies of the American leader abundant...."

"...But Braslavski isn't interested in politics. He just wants peace...."

"...His optimism was shared among a crowd that felt more like a reunion of friends...."

"...Home-baked cookies were passed around with signs that read 'Taste of Joy.'..."

"...Children walked among adults who shared sweets from their pockets...."

"...Strangers became friends and friends became family in a crowd that has felt anger, despair and hopelessness before finally feeling some happiness...."

"...There, two fathers – one waiting on his son's remains; another expecting his son's embrace, stood in a uniquely Israeli moment of paradox, suspended between grief and joy...."

"...It's impossible to explain, this connection (between us) doesn't exist anywhere else...."

"...Those who lost their dear ones keep on coming here … it's something that's difficult to grasp...."

"...For Illouz, who rushed to the square in jubilation Wednesday night as the deal was announced, the impending hostage release is deeply complicated...."

"...I'm so proud to be able to meet the children who are alive, to be able to help recover the children, I'm too happy for the families...."

"...But also I'm finding a place for my sadness...."

"...It's a very confusing moment. It's a nightmare actually...."

"...As Illouz prepares for his son's remains to return, he outlined the excruciating tasks that lie ahead...."

"...What actually will I get … what kind of bones? How will I find the way to recognize him? I'm so afraid of that – and then, to bury him...."

"...It's going to be a long, long journey, that we're just going to start...."

"...While Illouz hopes to be able to bury his son in the upcoming days, that closure is not certain...."

"...Netanyahu publicly implied for the first time Friday that not all of the deceased hostages held captive in Gaza will return, underscoring previous assessments that Hamas may not be able to find and return all of their remains...."

"...The Israeli government has, for months, been aware that Hamas may not know the location of – or is unable to retrieve and return – all 28 bodies...."

"...On a crowded row of steps in front of the adjacent library, Simcha Cohen was coming to terms with her own complicated feelings...."

"...Cohen, who lost her own son to suicide years ago, is part of an NGO that supports bereaved parents – a group that, before October 7, used to meet regularly in the same plaza...."

"...Simcha hadn't returned to the square since that day in 2023, when the site became known as Hostages Square...."

"...I am not happy yet...."

"...Maybe it will come tomorrow when they (the hostages) are home...."

"...But she knows that even the moments of joy to come will be spoilt by the trauma of the last two years...."

"...Through tears, she points to a photo of Roi Shalev – whose partner was killed in the Nova music festival attack in front of him – and who died by suicide on Friday, just hours after the ceasefire came into effect...."

"...Inside the library, the family of former hostage Ofer Kalderon – who was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and released in February during the previous ceasefire agreement – were anxious for Monday to arrive...."

"...Kalderon's sister-in-law Sharon told CNN she had 'knots' in her stomach, but that she and her husband Nissan had cancelled plans with their family so that they could show up for what they hoped was one last time at Hostages Square...."

"...We got the support of these families when Ofer returned. So we are here for them to help them, to be here, to hug them and be happy with them as they wait...."

"...We wait, we wait, we wait...."