JERUSALEM, Israel – After two long years, Israelis today celebrated the freedom of all 20 living hostages from Hamas captivity. While the hostages came home, President Donald Trump landed in Israel to address the Knesset and celebrate the end of the war and the release of the hostages.
After 737 days in captivity, the hostages reunited with their families, amid joyous celebrations, mixed with anguish at the pain and abuse they suffered.
While the families received their loved ones, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted President Trump at Ben Gurion Airport. Trump then traveled straight to Jerusalem, where he addressed members of Israel’s parliament.
WATCH: Monday morning’s early coverage from Chris Mitchell, Julie Stahl, and Joshua Swanson HERE
Herzog also bestowed Israel’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Honor, on the U.S. president.
Trump wrote in the Knesset guest book, “This is my great honor. A great and beautiful day. A new beginning.”
While sitting with the prime minister, he said, “The war is over.”
Trump called for peace in the Middle East and was expected to meet with hostage families during his short visit to the Jewish state.
In remarks prepared for the Knesset, Trump declared, “We gather on a day of profound joy, of soaring hope, of renewed faith – and above all, a day to give our deepest thanks to the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
The president also noted, “The cruelty of October 7th struck to the core of humanity itself. The United States of America grieved alongside you, and we mourned for our own citizens who were so viciously taken. To all the families whose lives were forever changed by the atrocities of that day, and to all the people of Israel, please know that America joins you in those two everlasting vows – NEVER FORGET, and NEVER AGAIN.”
PHOTO: President Trump talks with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP)
The hostages’ release marks the end of a 24-month nightmare for the people of Israel.
Hostage Square in the heart of Tel Aviv has been the focus of Israel’s emotional heartbeat since October 7th, 2023, with thousands of yellow ribbons, flags, and posters of the hostages adorning the area.
Now, finally, as the captives return to their lives as Israelis, the nation may be able to turn a page.
Israeli Human Rights Attorney Arsen Ostrovsky told CBN News, “We are such a small country here that everyone knows someone you know, either a soldier, you know, a hostage. You have fought. We know their stories. We know their faces. We know their names. It’s as if it could be our brother, our sister. father, our son. So there’s this incredible connection to all of them. And so the relief, the sense of joy is just overwhelming.”
He added, “And so the relief, the sense of joy, is just overwhelming. I think for us as a country, as a nation.”
As the hostages return to freedom, Israel is releasing about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners in the coming hours, some of them convicted murderers.
Many supporters of Israel look to this scripture in the Book of Jeremiah as a picture of what took place today:
More than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners are also scheduled to be released in the following hours, many of them convicted murderers.
However, for Israelis and their supporters, many people are looking to this scripture in the Book of Jeremiah as a picture of what took place on Monday.
Jeremiah 31:16,17
“Thus says the Lord: Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope in your future, says the Lord,
That your children shall come back to their own border.
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