Hamas Releases Remaining Israeli Hostages in Ceasefire Agreement

"...cried, cheered and gave thanks..."

"...ushering in “a golden age” for Israel and the Middle East..."

"...His words belied the many complications facing an agreement that remains far from a comprehensive road map..."

"...tens of thousands Israelis streamed into Hostages Square in Tel Aviv..."

"...A party atmosphere prevailed on the road to Reim..."

"...the crowd erupted in a flurry of cheers..."

"...Trump gave a full-throated endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu..."

"...Trump also heaped praise on envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner..."

"...Trump insisted that Netanyahu did “a great job,” and diving into Israel’s domestic affairs, urged the president to pardon Netanyahu of corruption charges he’s facing..."

"...Trump also heaped praise on envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner for their efforts in brokering the deal, while musing about the idea of Israel making peace with Iran..."

"...Trump said at the summit, which saw Sisi award Egypt’s highest civilian honor to Trump..."

"...The Trump-brokered deal stipulates Hamas will release the bodies of 28 hostages who died in captivity..."

"...Hamas said it was facing difficulties retrieving corpses from the rubble of Gaza’s war-ravaged buildings..."

"...buses carrying about 1,700 Gaza residents detained in Israel without charge over the last two years left for the Palestinian enclave..."

"...families assembled at the Ramallah Cultural Palace — a place normally reserved for performances — to greet relatives, some they hadn’t seen in decades..."

"...Palestinian security forces tried to maintain order but were soon overwhelmed by the crowd..."

"...The prisoners and detainees emerged with their heads shaved, looking gaunt and pale in the afternoon sun..."

"...Despite their joy at the release, few were willing to be interviewed, saying Israeli authorities had warned them to not celebrate or speak to the media under threat of rearrest..."

"...One hand held a cigarette, while the other carried a phone he was using to talk to his niece for the first time..."

"...He looked frail as family members carried him on their shoulders in celebration..."

"...The list of Palestinian detainees to be released was a point of contention up to the very last minute..."

"...The head of the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Raed Abu Al-Hummus, said the commission had received hundreds of phone calls from people enraged that their loved ones weren’t being released..."

"...154 of the 250 prisoners were to be exiled to Gaza, Egypt, Malaysia or Turkey..."

"...with their family members subject to travel restrictions, it was unlikely they would see them anytime soon..."

"...Elsewhere in the crowd, bewilderment laced with anger when families who had been informed that their loved ones would be released discovered they weren’t on the buses after all..."

"...Beside him was his sister, Ibtisam, crying..."

"...She said, barely able to keep her voice steady from crying..."

"...Imran began to tear up as well..."

"...As the afternoon sun waned, the crowd began to thin out, save for a few families asking anyone who seemed in authority to give them information about their missing loved ones..."

"...But soon enough, they too walked away..."