Twenty hostages held by the Hamas terrorist group for 737 days were released from Gaza on Monday, locking in a ceasefire that could lead to permanent peace in the Palestinian enclave and triggering celebrations across Israel.

As news broke that the first seven hostages were on their way home at 8.20am, local time, wild cheers could be heard in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, where an estimated 6000 people had gathered in what has been dubbed Hostages Square. Many held posters of individual hostages or waved Israeli flags.

One of the released hostages, 25-year-old Matan Zangauker, was shown on a large television screen speaking to his mother on a video call from within the Gaza Strip.

“There’s no war, it’s over,” Einav Zangauker told her son. “You are coming home!”

Another 13 or so

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