From late Friday afternoon, all of Israel was riveted to screens. For hours, the country watched and waited nervously for glimpses of the 13 Israeli and 11 foreign hostages being released from captivity in Gaza, after being snatched by Hamas from their homes on 7 October. Families of the hostages had been begging their government to reach a deal for the release of their loved ones ever since. Now it was here.
Headlines tracked every tidbit of information of their journey from somewhere in the ruins of Gaza, to their crossing into Egypt, then Israel, before being whisked off to hospitals for medical attention. It was the first collective bright spot since that terrible Saturday.
