Will peace in Gaza hold?

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The Washington Post

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🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

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Summary

On Monday, Israelis celebrated the return of all 20 living hostages still held by Hamas. Palestinians welcomed back hundreds of prisoners and detainees held in Israel. For the first time in months, humanitarian aid began to surge into war-torn Gaza.

The swap was part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that President Donald Trump brokered between Israel and Hamas – a step he touted as the beginning of a new era of peace across the region.

But many unanswered questions remain about how the fragile peace negotiations will continue to develop.

Colby Itkowitz speaks with Middle East reporter Abbie Cheeseman about how this deal came to be – and what questions remain for the future of Gaza.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu with assistance from Rennie Svirnovskiy and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sean Carter.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The two-year war between Israel and Hamas is one step closer to ending today.
0:08.7	After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent,
0:16.2	the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will
0:24.5	live, God willing, in peace for all eternity.
0:46.5	So I woke up early morning and went to the hostage square in Tel Aviv.
0:53.1	La Or Soroka is a freelance reporter based in Tel Aviv, who covers Israel and the war in Gaza for the post.
0:58.3	The Hostages Square is a public plaza that has become a gathering point for protests and rallies in the wake of the October 7th attacks in 2023.
1:02.4	For the past two years, this square has been filled mostly with sorrow and tears.
1:08.2	And today, it was completely different.
1:13.6	There were like tens of thousands of Israelis there.
1:16.6	You could see people smiling and also crying, but from joy,
1:22.6	celebrating the return of the living hostages to Israel.
1:28.3	On Monday, all 20 living Israeli hostages were released and returned to Israel.
1:33.3	At one point, a helicopter that appeared to be carrying some of the hostages flew over the square.
1:42.3	La Orr spoke with several people in the square.
1:45.4	One of them was Aviva Seagull.
1:47.8	She was one of the people taken hostage on October 7th.
1:51.0	She spent 51 days in captivity in Gaza before being released in a previous ceasefire deal.
1:56.3	For the last two years, it's been really, really a tough time, knowing what they're going through as a hostage.
2:03.6	I'm exploring with joy.
2:06.1	It's just one of the better days that I've had in my life.
2:10.7	To see the families getting back together and coming home, coming home,
	...

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