Anticipation in Hostages Square, the Tel Aviv piazza that has become ground zero for the struggle to bring home Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza, was in the stratosphere on a day many had begun to despair of seeing.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered, starting in force before dawn Monday. Most do not even know the hostages personally, but feel as if they do after getting to know their families and hearing the stories of their abductions and the lives they had lived before the war.

They were there to witness history, the dramatic implementation of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. The 20-point plan seeks to end the devastating war begun with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and to set the region on a path toward a more comprehensive peac

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