The 20 remaining living hostages in Gaza were released and returned to Israel early on Monday, Oct. 13, after a little over two years since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. While 28 of the overall hostages are presumed to be dead, Gaza officials claim they are still planning on returning their bodies. On the other hand, 1,900 prisoners of war, who were held in Israel, were also released, and the attacks, which, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, have claimed an estimated 67,000 lives, have ended. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is “committed to this peace,” prompting hope that these ongoing tensions in the Middle East will cease to exist.

This pause in the war brought a sigh of relief and an extensive amount of joy to the families who were reunited with loved ones and an end to the nearly daily strikes along the strip. This is evident by the crowds waiting outside as the buses arrived back in Tel Aviv, Israel, and people celebrating in the streets of Gaza.