People gather at a plaza known as the hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 prior to the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Israelis celebrate the return of hostages after ceasefire in Gaza, in photos
Original Publication Date: October 12, 2025 10:56PM
Publication Updated: October 13, 2025 12:53AM
Israelis on Monday celebrated the return of the last surviving hostages from Gaza — a defining exchange in the fragile ceasefire that has paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
As Palestinians awaited prisoner releases, world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump were arriving in the Middle East to discuss postwar plans while aid was expected to flow into famine-stricken Gaza.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Family and friends of Israeli hostage Bar Kupershtein celebrate as they await the release of Kupershtein and other hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Holon, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)People react in anticipation of the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a gathering at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)People react as they gather to watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Gaza at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. The release took place as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)A Jewish man wears a kippah printed with the image of U.S. President Donald Trump during a gathering at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, before the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)People wave Israeli flags in celebration as they wait outside Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, where some of the freed hostages are expected to arrive after being released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)People gather prior to the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, at a plaza known as the hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)People gather at a plaza known as the hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 prior to the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)People gather to watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Gaza at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. The release took place as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)People react as they gather to watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Gaza at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. The release took place as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)People react as they gather to watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Gaza at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. The release took place as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)People react in anticipation of the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza during a gathering at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)Members of an Israeli military band listen to a live broadcast showing the first group of hostages being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza, ahead of a welcoming ceremony for U.S. President Donald Trump’s arrival at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)People react as a convoy carrying the hostages released from the Gaza Strip arrives at a military base near Reim, southern Israel, on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)Palestinians look at the Israeli Ofer prison in the West Bank city of Beitunia, Monday Oct. 13, 2025, awaiting the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a swap for Israelis held hostage in Gaza.(AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)President Donald Trump greets Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at Ben Gurion International Airport, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)People react as they gather to watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Gaza at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. The release took place as part of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)People hold Israeli flags as they gather before the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, outside a military base near Reim, southern Israel, on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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