Released hostages, brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, waved to a cheering crowd on Sunday as they leaned out of the windows of a vehicle upon arriving at the entrance to Beit Guvrin, following their discharge from hospital.

The 28-year-old twins were taken from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza border, during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Crowds of people waving flags came out to welcome them home.

"I love you all. Thank you very much. Thank you very much," Gali Berman shouted to the crowd.

"We still can't believe it, that it's reality. And we waited for this moment for 2 years. Very, very excited," said Maya Oelsner, a resident of Beit Guvrin.

Last Monday, Hamas released 20 hostages into the custody of the Red Cross, which then brought them to Israel as part of a new ceasefire deal that many hope will signal an end to two years of war in the devastated Gaza Strip.

AP Video by Moshe Edri