The friends and loved ones have reacted with delight after Hamas released all surviving hostages from Gaza on Monday as part of a ceasefire following two years of brutal war between Israel and Hamas
Footage shared online has captured the emotional moments that saw freed hostages reunited with loved ones after more than two years in captivity.
Hamas released all surviving hostages from Gaza on Monday as part of a ceasefire that halted two years of brutal warfare between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas has released all living hostages held in Gaza with 20 people returning to Israel meanwhile 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza including 22 children will be released today.
As of Monday morning, 48 hostages were still being held in Gaza, with 20 of those believed to still be alive. Hamas seized all but one of the hostages being returned today in the October 7 attack on southern Israel in 2023 which saw 251 people abducted and 1,200 killed.
Israel’s military campaign against Gaza, launched in the wake of the attacks, has so far killed more than 67,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
On both sides of the conflict loved ones were reunited with friends and families they had thought they might never see again as a US-brokered ceasefire takes effect, with the returen of captives in both directions.
Clips shared online show emotional moments as hostages are reunited with their loved-ones after over two years being held by Hamas fighters, often in harsh conditions with little access to food and medicine.
Israeli hostage Eitan Horn, 38, was captured along with his elder brother Yair who was freed in February 2025 during the last ceasefire. In a video released by Hamas at the time Eitan, who is an Israeli-Argentine dual national, and Yair can be seen hugging ahead of Yair’s release.
Today an image captured the moment family and friends of Eitan expressed their shared delight at the news of his release as they beamed with joy and embraced at their home in the central Israeli city of Rosh Haayin.
Meanwhile the family and friends of hostage Elkana Bohbot were overcome with emotion as they gathered to watch his release from Hamas captivity. Elkana Bohbot, 36, was one of the producers of the Supernova music festival with his childhood friends Michael and Osher Waknin.
Along with nearly 370 other people, they were killed in the Hamas attack on the site in the early morning of October 7. At the time he was kidnapped, Bohbot was planning to open an ice-cream stall in a Tel Aviv market, according to his parents.
Touching images released by the IDF show Matan Zangauker reunited with his mother for the first time since he was taken captive in the 2023 October 7 attacks. Matan, 25, was taken from Nir Oz kibbutz with his partner Ilana Gritzewsky, Ilana was released during the November 2023 ceasefire. In a December 2024 video released by Hamas Matan said he and his fellow hostages were suffering from skin ailments, shortages of food, water and medicine.
In a video clip from the Associated Press his mother sheds tears of joy as she embraces him and welcomes him home following his ordeal.
A still released by Israel’s Government Press Office shows hostage Gali Berman smiling in an embrage following his release. The 28-year-old twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with their neighbour, Emily Damari.
Emily, who was released in January 2025 during the last ceasefire, described how they had been held together for 40 days before being separated, meanwhile other hostages released in early 2025 confirmed that Gali and Ziv were still alive, their family said.