Celebrations erupt in Gaza and Israel after ceasefire and hostage deal
Palestinians and Israeli hostage families celebrated after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage exchange. Crowds in Gaza applauded despite ongoing strikes, while families in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square were ecstatic over the deal, which aims to return all hostages but lacks details and could collapse.
Reuters reports that Palestinians in Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages broke into celebrations on Oct. 9, 2025 after news that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-brokered plan to end the two-year war. The pact includes a ceasefire and hostage exchange, with hopes that the living and dead Israeli captives will be returned within 72 hours.
In the devastated streets of Gaza, young men applauded and chanted even as Israeli strikes continued, and some people said they were so overwhelmed they couldn’t stop laughing and crying【773429290504232†L176-L208】. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, relatives of hostages celebrated with red flares, expressing relief and disbelief at the possibility of seeing their loved ones again【773429290504232†L203-L214】.
The agreement came just after the second anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack, which Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, with 20 still believed alive【773429290504232†L298-L304】. Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave flattened by Israel’s response【773429290504232†L298-L304】. Some Palestinians cautioned that a durable peace is uncertain and warned displaced residents not to return to northern Gaza until more details are known.