'Welcome Home': Emotional Reunions, Tears Of Joy As All 20 Surviving Hamas Hostages Return To Israel

Last Updated:October 13, 2025, 18:03 IST

Hamas had seized 251 hostages, but only 20 returned while 47 were freed in earlier truces – a sobering reminder of those who will never return to their families

Israeli hostage Eitan Mor (centre) being embraced by his family after being handed over in a prisoner-hostage swap and a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on October 13; (right) a combination of pictures released the same day by the Israeli army identifies the 20 released hostages. (Image: Israeli Army/AFP)

It was a homecoming like never before for 23-year-old Eitan Mor, whose father — an Israeli flag draped across his shoulders — enveloped him in a tight embrace, showered him with kisses while his mother pulled them into a group hug.

Mor’s parents could not hold back tears as they welcomed him home two years after Hamas abducted him on October 7, 2023, when the militant group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, triggering a war that has killed and displaced thousands in Israel as well as Gaza. 

Watch the video here:

In a landmark ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, all 20 surviving Israeli hostages returned home on Monday amid scenes of jubilation across the country. Hamas had seized 251 hostages, but only 20 returned while 47 were freed in earlier truces – a sobering reminder of those who will never return to their families.

Hamas’s attack on Israel led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians. The families of those who have remained in captivity for the past two years, have led lives of constant pain and worry for their loved ones.

Trump received a standing ovation from Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset as a massive crowd in Tel Aviv, which gathered to support hostage families, erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first hostage releases.

“Welcome home," Israel’s foreign ministry said in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of the hostages.

HOW DID THE HOSTAGES RETURN?

Called ‘Returning Home’, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an operation to return the surviving hostages from Hamas captivity with helicopters ready to take them to hospitals.

The IDF said the hostages underwent initial medical assessment after they were transferred across the border by the Red Cross and reunited with their families at the initial reception point in southern Israel. They were then airlifted to hospitals, where they will continue to receive medical care.

Eitan Mor was in the first batch of seven hostages released by Hamas, along with Matan Angrest, twins Gali and Ziv Berman, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, and Guy Gilboa Dalal. In the second round 13 hostages were released – Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, Ariel Cunio, David Cunio, Evyatar David, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kupershtein, Yosef Haim Ohana, Avinatan Or, and Matan Zangauker.

Braslavski, 21, became highly emotional as he returned to Israel with Nimrod Cohen and Eitan Horn. The security forces interacted with the three returned hostages, comforting them and taking them through the medical process.

Watch the video here:

On Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, a woman shared her pain and joy. “I’m torn between emotion and sadness for those who won’t be coming back," she told news agency AFP.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is also due to return the bodies of the 27 hostages who died or were killed in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in 2014 during a previous Gaza conflict. But Israel has said it does not expect all of the dead hostages to be returned on the same day as the surviving ones.

WHO ARE THE ISRAELI HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS?

Nova Hostages: Most of the living hostages, who were released, were abducted from the site of the Nova Music festival near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel on October 7. They include Evyatar David, 24, who was last seen in a Hamas video in August, looking skeletally thin and digging what he said in the video was his own grave; pianist Alon Ohel, 24, and Avinatan Or, 32, as per a report by Reuters. A video showing Or’s abduction with his girlfriend Noa Argamani pleading for her life and reaching desperately towards him as he was marched alongside her on foot circulated across the globe. Argamani was rescued in June, the report said.

Hostages Taken From Kibbutzim: Seven of the hostages were taken from their homes on kibbutzim, small communities near the Gaza border. They include 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman, and brothers Ariel Cunio, 28, and David Cunio, 35, who was abducted with his wife Sharon and toddler daughters. Sharon and the girls were released in a brief November 2023 truce.

Israeli Soldiers: Two of the hostages, Matan Angrest, 22, and Nimrod Cohen, 20, are Israeli conscript soldiers who were seized by Hamas militants in the battles of October 7.

Oindrila Mukherjee

Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st...Read More

Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st...

Read More

News world 'Welcome Home': Emotional Reunions, Tears Of Joy As All 20 Surviving Hamas Hostages Return To Israel

Read More