After greater than two agonizing years in captivity, the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza had been launched Monday, signaling the preliminary phases of the top of the Israel-Hamas battle, a battle that rocked communities internationally. The discharge marks a major milestone, hopefully closing a painful chapter in world historical past that started on Oct. 7, 2023.
“I’m very grateful the 20 living hostages are home and pray they will slowly heal,” stated Lyss Stern of the Higher East Aspect. “It’s an amazing historic day. They’re home just in time for the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah.”
One other New Yorker, getting espresso at a Queens deli, shared related sentiments.
“I’m just very happy for this to be happening in the Middle East, for the hostages to be free and for the Palestinians to have peace and rebuild. I’m a bit sad it took two years to happen,” Eddie of Woodside, Queens, stated.
The Israel-Hamas battle started on Oct. 7, 2023, when terrorists stormed Israel, killing 1,200 individuals and taking 251 hostages, making it the deadliest days for Jews for the reason that Holocaust throughout World Struggle II.
A devastating battle and humanitarian disaster ensued over the following two years because it despatched shockwaves internationally, pitting communities towards one another in help of Palestine or Israel.
Tens of 1000’s of civilians had been killed, most of them Palestinians, in the course of the battle because the hostages’ extended captivity continued to deliver each day anguish to their households, buddies and supporters internationally.
The discharge of the remaining hostages is being acknowledged as a triumph of perseverance and worldwide cooperation. President Donald Trump addressed Israel’s Parliament on Monday, saying, “This is not only the end of a war; this is the end of an age of terror and death.”
Jewish advocacy leaders reply
Launched hostage Elkana Bohbot, who was kidnapped in the course of the lethal October 7, 2023 assault by Hamas and brought to Gaza, arrives at Sheba Medical Middle, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Ramat Gan, Israel October 13, 2025.REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Gavriel Sanders, a spokesperson for the Be a Mensch Basis, a corporation that helps a unified Israeli society, described the discharge as an overdue second of reduction for households and communities affected by the battle.
“As we begin, with somber gratitude, to bring our sacred deceased from Gaza to burial, we are reminded of both the cost of hatred and the sanctity of every human life,” he stated.
He spotlighted Trump’s and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s roles within the welcoming launch whereas acknowledging that extra work must be completed.
“President Trump’s role in facilitating this outcome, together with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s persistent diplomacy, deserves acknowledgment despite the tremendous amount of work which remains,” Sanders stated. This isn’t an endpoint however a fragile turning level, and we urge all leaders, each in Israel and past, to embrace the interpersonal and intercultural values which make for constructive and enduring unity.”
Gerard Filitti, a senior lawyer at The Lawfare Challenge, a professional bono authorized group that helps Jewish communities worldwide, stated the settlement between Israel and the fear group Hamas marked a “historic turning point” that may deliver hope and a “measure of justice” for many who have suffered all through the two-year ordeal.
“The release of hostages illegally taken by Hamas offers immense relief to their families and to all who have prayed for their safe return,” Filitti stated.
Like Sanders of Be a Mensch, he stated Trump must be credited with a big a part of the discharge and ceasefire.
“His leadership, anchored by a coalition of Arab partners including Egypt and Qatar, has done what years of fractured diplomacy could not: unite regional players behind a common framework for peace. By building regional consensus and coupling strength with pragmatic diplomacy, President Trump achieved what many deemed impossible, moving the region toward genuine stability and renewed deterrence.”
Scott Richman, ADL New York/New Jersey regional director, stated the earlier two years had been ones of “fear, anguish, and unimaginable uncertainty” and stated the hostages are welcomed house with “full hearts.”
“We are overjoyed and profoundly relieved that the remaining hostages are finally home, while filled with anguish for those not coming home alive,” he stated. “Their return is a testomony to the resilience of their households and the unwavering unity of Am Yisrael. ADL stands with the households, the worldwide Jewish group, and all in Israel who by no means gave up hope. “
Hopes for peace, and support
Launched hostage, David Cunio, who was kidnapped in the course of the lethal October 7, 2023 assault by Hamas and brought to Gaza, gestures as he arrives at Sheba Medical Middle, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Ramat Gan, Israel October 13, 2025.
Hamas freed the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages as a part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The our bodies of those that died are additionally anticipated to be returned to Israel.
“After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their loved ones,” Trump stated in an tackle to the Israeli Parliament on Monday. “Twenty-eight more are coming home at last to rest in their sacred soil for all of time.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has met with hostage households and visited Israel within the wake of the assault two years in the past, issued a press release concerning the momentous event.
“After two years of immense suffering and loss, the Israeli hostages have finally returned home,” she stated. “I join their families in celebrating this long-awaited homecoming and pray they find peace and comfort in the days ahead.”
She additionally applauded the Trump administration for its function in securing the hostages’ launch.
“With their return and a permanent ceasefire, I’m hopeful that vital aid will soon reach families suffering in Gaza and that today marks the beginning of a new chapter of lasting peace and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” the governor added.
Transferring ahead with warning
Jewish and Israel advocates whom New York News spoke to agreed that extra work lies forward to cement peace within the space. Whereas each Israel and Hamas accepted elements of the U.S.-brokered plan, the fear group has not but agreed to the “essential provisions of disarmament and exclusion from post-war governance,” as Filitti defined.
“These are not negotiable details,” he stated. They’re the very basis of an enduring peace. If Hamas stays armed and in energy, this ‘peace’ might be little greater than a pause—a fragile lull earlier than the following October 7. True peace requires accountability, verifiable demilitarization, and an finish to the cycle of terror that has plagued the area for generations.”
Different advocates stated the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, shouldn’t be forgotten, however the hostages’ launch may be the inspiration of future peace.
“We join family, friends and all of Israel in celebrating the strength, resilience, courage, and above all else, the return of the 20 living hostages,” stated Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York. “At the same time, we grieve those who have not, and will not, return to their families alive. We will never forget the pain and horror of the 737 days, but we can now begin the long road of healing, recovery, and hope for more peaceful days.”
