Eight months after the horrors of 7 October, Saturday was a rare, joyful day in Israel after four hostages were rescued safely from Gaza in a special forces operation.
Street parties were held across the country; the weekly demonstration in Tel Aviv demanding that the government strike a deal with Hamas to release the remaining 120 captives was invigorated by the news. Israeli media celebrated the reunion of the Nova festivalgoer Noa Argamani with her terminally ill mother, and broke the sad news that the father of another freed Nova hostage, Almog Meir Jan, had died just hours before his son arrived home in a military helicopter.
