David was named on Monday as one of the freed hostages, who were taken to an Israeli hospital as soon as they were transferred by the Red Cross. His best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, was also kidnapped at the Nova festival and also released on Monday.
“Finally, our Evyatar is home,” his family said after releasing a photo of him being hugged by his parents, Avishai and Galia.
Evyatar David with his parents Avishai and Galia.
Evyatar David gestures to the crowd outside Beilinson Hospital in the Rabin Medical Centre. Inset: A still showing David from a video released by Hamas in August.Credit: Getty Images
“From the first moment, we knew he would return, and here, after two years of suffering, he is here.
“Even in our incomprehensible joy, our hearts are with the families who lost their most precious.”
The joy at return of the hostages was marked with grief over those who died in captivity as well as the deaths of 1200 Israelis when Hamas – a designated terrorist group in Australia and other countries – launched the attack two years ago.
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Hamas fighters handed the hostages to Red Cross aid workers as agreed in the ceasefire terms, with the first seven crossing into Israel about three hours ahead of the deadline of noon on Monday in Israel (8pm AEST).
In a move that angered families, Hamas did not transfer the bodies of 28 dead hostages as agreed; only four were released.
The moments were shown live as crowds cheered at gatherings across Israel when officials confirmed the hostages were being returned alive as expected after 736 days in captivity.
One of the first hostages to emerge was Alon Ohel, a young man who was set on a career in music before he was taken by Hamas at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Ohel, a pianist, had only just returned to Israel from a holiday in Asia – ranging from Thailand to India and Nepal – when he chose to join friends at the music festival. He was trapped in a group at a bomb shelter and seized while others were slaughtered.
Two others released were twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, taken by Hamas from their home in the Kfar-Aza kibbutz along with their friend Emily Damari, a young British Israeli woman. While Damari was released in January in a temporary ceasefire, the brothers were kept as bargaining chips.
Hostages had been released before, some through negotiated prisoner exchanges during the war and some by determination of Israeli troops to find Hamas tunnels and do everything necessary to free those inside.
The search for the hostages became daily proof to the world of the relentless nature of the war and the fact that Israel would never rest until every possible citizen had been rescued. What some saw as a merciless war, inflicting unbearable civilian casualties, Israel saw as a just cause.
The hostage transfer cleared the way for Israel to release almost 2000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 who were jailed for life, to ensure the ceasefire continues under terms agreed last week.
Palestinian prisoners are greeted after being released from Israeli prison following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.Credit: AP
US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv.Credit: Getty Images
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel.Credit: AP
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Trump raised hopes that the ceasefire could be turned into a long-term peace after further talks with global leaders at a summit in Egypt that will include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads a governing authority that is meant to help restore stability to Gaza.
“The war is over, you understand that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Israel.
In his address to the Knesset after the hostage release, the US president reminded the Israeli parliament that US weapons had been key to the war against Hamas and that it was time for Israel to end the fighting.
“The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace,” he said.
“Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
But there is no agreement on the power structure to manage Gaza after the withdrawal of Israeli troops over the past few days.
The Israeli Defence Forces said the country remained in a “multi-front war” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled there could be more fighting to come.
“This is a historic event that blends sorrow over the release of murderers – and joy over the return of hostages,” Netanyahu said in a televised address on the eve of the hostage release.
“And I want to say: Everywhere we fought – we won.
“But in the same breath, I must tell you: the campaign is not over. There are still very great security challenges ahead of us. Some of our enemies are trying to rebuild themselves to attack us again. And as we say – ‘We’re on it’.”
People react as they gather to watch a live broadcast of Israeli hostages released from Gaza at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv.Credit: AP
People celebrate in hostages square.Credit: AP
Hamas fighters have returned to parts of Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli troops under the terms of the ceasefire, fuelling speculation about further conflict.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, said the country was in the midst of a “multi-front war” with more challenges ahead.
Netanyahu is not expected to attend the summit at the Sharm El-Sheikh resort in Egypt.
Those planning to attend include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Council President Antonio Costa are expected to attend.
Netanyahu appeared to be aware of the heated opinions about his leadership ahead of the hostage release.
Netanyahu was booed when his name was mentioned in front of the crowd in Tel Aviv on Saturday, when about 500,000 people gathered to commemorate those killed and kidnapped. Several media organisations with reporters in the square – now known as Hostage Square – reported the booing.
ICRC vehicles transporting released Israeli hostages head toward the Israeli border in Khan Younis.Credit: AP
ICRC vehicles carrying released Israeli hostages make their way through groups of Palestinians and Hamas gunmen on their way to the Israeli border, in Khan Younis.Credit: AP
“I know there are many disagreements among us,” Netanyahu said in his televised address to Israel on the eve of the hostage release.
“But on this day, and I hope also in the period ahead, we have every reason to put them aside. Because through joint efforts we achieved enormous victories. Victories that astonished the entire world.”
As the third day of the ceasefire held, Associated Press footage showed dozens of trucks crossing the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian Red Crescent said they carried medical supplies, tents, blankets, food and fuel.
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