By Baptist Message staff
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (LBM) — The remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released following a ceremony, Oct. 13, that ended a two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
As part of the deal, Israel released more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who attended the ceremony, called the peace deal an answer to prayers of millions of people.
“Together we’ve achieved what everybody said was impossible,” Trump said. “At long last, we have peace in the Middle East. It is a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East.
“And we’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there,” he continued. “And now we’re there.”
The deal ends two years of intense fighting that was ignited after Hamas attacked Israel, Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,219 people and capturing another 251 mostly Israeli citizens. There are 28 hostage bodies that are to be released as well, but only four were returned on Oct. 13, according to multiple news outlets.
