A moment of peace
https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20251014/da-sind-sie-da-sind-sie-jubelte-die-menge
Report on the Gaza hostage deal: "Here they are, here they are," the crowd cheered
Our correspondent witnesses how people in the Middle East celebrate the exchange of hostages and prisoners – and US President Donald Trump. There is a little hope for peace in Israel and Gaza. At least for the moment
Local inspection, FALTER 42/2025, 14.10.2025
From left to right: October 13, 2025: The family of Bar Abraham Kupershtein excited about his release from captivity. There is also joy among the Palestinians about the release of 2,000 prisoners – including 250 with life sentences. Tears of joy and grief over the return of the Israeli hostages: Nepalese student Bipin Joshi, did not survive Photos: Itai Ron / REUTERS / picturedesk.com, Ramadan Abed / REUTERS / picturedesk.com, Shir Torem / REUTERS / picturedesk.com
Two years of horror. First October 7, the Hamas attack on Israel, which robbed the Israelis of their security. Then a war against Gaza that deprived 2.2 million Palestinians of their livelihoods. Even on the second anniversary, there seemed to be no way out, the negotiations were deadlocked.
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Then Donald Trump banged his fist on the table and ordered a ceasefire to the warring parties. And the exchange of the last 20 Israeli hostages for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. On October 13, the time had come, when a day dawned that was hard to grasp even for the normal madness of everyday life in the region.
1 – Tel Aviv, Hostage Square
The hostages come home
"Boker tov, good morning! Today is really a good morning!" a woman hugs her friend. Already at dawn, thousands are standing in front of the stage and in front of the large screens. For two years, shortly after October 7, 2023, people have been demonstrating here in front of the Tel Aviv Art Museum for the return of the 250 hostages, most of them Israeli, from Gaza. Hamas had abducted them. A community has developed during this time. And: It seemed hopeless until October 9, 2025.
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This Monday, however, it is different. Since Friday, there has been a ceasefire in Gaza, US President Donald Trump has forced Israel's government and the Islamist Hamas in Gaza to what he would call a "deal".
Donald Trump signing the "peace plan" in Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptPhoto: SAUL LOEB / AFP / picturedesk.com
The families of the hostages, the people who have gathered here in Hostage Square, indeed an entire country has been eagerly awaiting this moment: Around ten o'clock, the first photos appear on the screens. "There they are, there they are!" shouts the crowd. The first seven hostages are free, including Gali and Ziv Berman. The twins were 26 years old when they were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during a Hamas attack. They held out in captivity for two years. They stretch their thumbs up.
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By noon, all 20 surviving hostages are back in Israel. They have been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza, they will be flown to Tel Aviv in helicopters. The families are waiting there. Joy, tears, dance.
With every new face, cheers erupt in the crowd. Just a moment ago, Matan Zangauker's photo hung on every street corner in Tel Aviv: "Bring him home". Now he meets his mother in the hospital. "You are my life!" she shouts as she embraces her son. Einav Zangauker has become something like the face of the hostage family movement. People are celebrating. And they celebrate Trump. Two days ago, they had already shouted "Thank you Trump" when his special envoy Steve Witkoff was allowed to speak to the protesters from the podium. However, he was booed when he began to praise Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The demonstrators had always accused him of continuing the war without regard for the hostages.
In an online press conference a few hours before his release, the father of the abducted Guy Gilboa-Dalal had still hoped: "I want to hug my son, sniff him and tell him that the nightmare is over."
42 hostages have died in captivity. For their families, October 13 is a day that comes too late.
Tears of joy, tears of sorrow, relief and misery are very close together in Israel and the Palestinian territories at this time.
2 – Gaza Strip, Khan Younis
The prisoners are free
Only 100 kilometers south of Hostage Square in Khan Younis, a few hundred people are waiting for returnees. Patriotic songs boom out of loudspeakers. 250 Palestinian prisoners with life sentences, a total of almost 2,000, are released from Israeli prisons, including many minors. For the Israelis, it is terrorists who get off the buses here. For many Palestinians, they are sons, fathers, brothers.
At the moment, the ceasefire in Gaza is holding. "But we still have hardly any water and almost nothing to eat," says Sara Shaqfa. At the age of only twelve, she became an Instagram influencer, out of necessity. The Palestinian girl grew up in the Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli bomb tore off her left hand. "Do you want to help me get a prosthetic arm?" she asks. The payment link for donations is attached.
On Instagram, 14-year-old Asil posts for her now one-handed sister Sara. "Life is so hard for us," she writes to the Falter: "The whole day is about finding water, buying water, but we have no money."
As soon as the ceasefire came into force, tens of thousands of people started moving. Mattresses on the roof of the car, suitcases on donkey carts, a few sacks in their hands: this is how a long train of people pushes its way to the north of the Gaza Strip, home.
The color of the city of Gaza is the color of the rubble
Diaa Ortaz
The Trump plan is more a declaration of intent than a concrete roadmap to peace. In 20 points, he lists how hostages are exchanged for prisoners and then humanitarian aid is to flow into the Gaza Strip. The next big questions – the disarmament and disempowerment of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and reconstruction – are unclear. One pitfall after another is becoming apparent: If Hamas does not give up all its weapons – which is very likely – does Israel have the right to continue the war?
What people find near their old houses is nothing but chaos. Most of the buildings have been bombed. "I thought I was in a movie," says Diaa Ostaz. The Palestinian journalist reported again and again for the Falter from Gaza. "I went north, but came back quickly, I was so disappointed," he says: "The color of the city is the color of the rubble." But the most important thing now is: "No more bombs. We are so exhausted."
This is likely to be in line with Trump's plans. His negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have listened to the Arab and European voices: The Palestinian civilian population should no longer be expelled from Gaza. This was very different in February 2025, when Trump presented his Riviera in Gaza plan. At the time, he considered the expulsion of two million Palestinians to be sensible in order to build lucrative real estate projects on the ruins of Gaza.
One of the many problems: "Hamas is so weakened that it can no longer take care of the infrastructure," says Diaa Ortaz. The consequences: violence. On Sunday, there was already an exchange of fire between Hamas and one of the important Gaza clans, the Dugmush family. Ten Dugmuschs and nine Hamas fighters are said to have been killed. The war ends, but the bloody struggle for power in Gaza begins.
3– West Jerusalem, Knesset, Israeli Parliament
A celebration for Trump
It is 1 p.m. when Israel's President Yitzhak Herzog welcomes US President Donald Trump in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sarah have come. Trump only stands up when greeting the Israeli prime minister and gives him a standing ovation. Then Netanyahu applauds Trump. A dance of vanities by two of the most controversial right-wing politicians in contemporary politics. The mutual statements and speeches last over three hours: "I thought I'd come by briefly and then fly on to Egypt," Trump jokes at some point: "Now I'm still here."
Trump enjoys every minute. Netanyahu pays tribute to him for forcing Hamas to release all hostages. He thanks him for helping Israel bomb Iran. With bunker breakers made in the USA.
The city around is cordoned off over a large area. Also for pedestrians. "Unfortunately, you won't get anywhere here," says a friendly policewoman kilometers from the Knesset. Under no circumstances should star guest Donald Trump be confronted with boos for the unpopular Israeli head of government.
Netanyahu is responsible for the genocide in the Gaza Strip. And Trump for stopping him
Aida Touma Sliman
But that does happen, in the courtroom. Two members of the left-wing Chadash party are disturbing: "Terrorist" they shout and demand the recognition of Palestine on a sign. Ofer Kassif demonstratively reads from "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" by the critical historian Ilan Pappe.
Other members of parliament from Chadash did not even appear. "We are divided," Aida Touma Sliman tells the Falter. The Palestinian-Israeli psychologist is a member of the socialist Chadash list: "Netanyahu is responsible for the genocide in the Gaza Strip. And Trump for stopping him." Trump himself does not feel divided at all, he talks at great length about his own foreign policy successes. The Netanyahu government's big, long collective embrace with the Trump administration ends in Trump's exclamation, "I love Israel."
What does the Trump plan achieve?
DisarmamentUnder point 1 it says: Gaza will become a terror-free zone. Hamas is being disarmed. The Islamist movement rejected this on Monday
ReconstructionPoint 2: Gaza is being rebuilt for the benefit of the population
Withdrawal Points 3 + 16: Israel withdraws to an agreed line. Israel must not occupy or annex Gaza
Humanitarian AidPoints 7 + 8: 600 trucks with relief supplies to arrive in Gaza every day, distributed by the UN
No expulsionPoint 12: Palestinians are allowed to stay
GovernmentHamas is giving up the government. A Palestinian technocratic council can participate in decision-making under the Board of Peace, which Trump chairs
State?
Point 19: In the long term, there is the prospect of a state of Palestine
4 – Sharm el Sheikh, International Conference Centre, Egypt
Bill without landlords
At the last minute, Donald Trump tried to drag Benjamin Netanyahu with him to his "peace summit" in Egypt. But Netanyahu is not coming. Turkey has threatened to boycott it if it participates. So does Netanyahu's right-wing base. In return, Mahmoud Abbas, the 89-year-old head of the Palestinian Authority, is allowed to come to the Trump show and even pose in a photo with the US president.
Trump seems very satisfied with himself and the world at his peace summit. He is already being awarded another medal, "that of the Nile", as he tells us ecstatically. He signs a declaration on the ceasefire with the presidents of Egypt, Turkey and the Emir of Qatar. They and other well-heeled Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia are to finance the reconstruction of Gaza. In return, all parties involved, not least Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, expect lucrative real estate projects in the region. Major business deals in Trump's entourage have initiated the peace plan.
Trump signs his peace plan without Netanyahu, only with Arab heads of state
Gideon Levy
However, the US president does the math without the landlord. He proclaims his "historic peace" in the absence of those affected. "Trump has used all his weight to push through this deal," says Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy, "yet he is now signing his peace plan only with the Arab heads of state and without Netanyahu."
How far and how quickly should the Israeli army withdraw from the Gaza Strip? The Trump plan states that Israel can occupy 17 percent of the Gaza Strip. At present, however, Israel still controls just over half of the
The terrorist organization Hamas is also not present at this "peace summit". On the contrary. Although it has released the hostages, it refuses to lay down its weapons. Trump is still standing on the podium in Sharm el-Sheikh and proclaiming: "The war is over, forever," when Hamas sends its message: It will continue its fight against Israel.
Under these circumstances, how quickly can not only Hamas, but the entire Gaza Strip be demilitarized? "There is a danger that even if the Hamas leadership agrees to dissolve itself, many fighters and their weapons will defect to more radical groups," says Muhammad Shehada of the European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR). These include the militias of the "Islamic Jihad" or the "Mujahideen Brigades".
There is also danger from the Abu Shabab gang. The "Popular Forces" of Yasser Abu Shabab are expanding their power in a vacuum. Israel cooperated with the mafia-like militia in Gaza, it is said, when it needed partners to distribute aid supplies in order to undermine the UN. Abu Shabab, who comes from a prominent Bedouin family in southern Gaza, denies this. Collaboration with Israel is a death sentence in Gaza.
International peacekeepers are therefore to ensure order, but also a Palestinian police force. Jordan and Egypt are to take over this job – they have the best relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah. The PA has already trained 5,000 police officers in Egypt. Hamas fighters who lay down their weapons are to receive amnesty.
According to his own, half-formulated plan, Trump wants to preside over the supreme body for Gaza, the "Board of Peace", or BoP for short. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to lead it. Under him, a kind of technocrat council is to be allowed to meet. Palestinian experts are to determine the local fate. The Palestinians have not yet been asked about this and reject it. The less the Palestinians are allowed to decide for themselves, the less interest they will have in ensuring that the calm lasts, warns Muhammad Shehada of the ECFR: "Israel must make concessions to Hamas in its implementation, otherwise the Trump plan will collapse before it takes off." And another problem arises: In the Arab world, Blair has lost all respect with the Iraq war.
5 – East Jerusalem, 19 Salah Eideen Street
The West Bank is seething
In the "Educational Bookshop" in the Palestinian eastern part of the city, there is also skepticism about the "historic peace plan". Political analysis is served here with good books and coffee. "The Trump plan does not bring peace, only a truce," says bookseller Mahmoud Mouna. Anyone who, like him, still remembers the Oslo peace process gets a queasy feeling. Even in 1993, the regulations remained so vague that in the end hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers lived in the West Bank.
Things are also seething in the West Bank, the area is becoming a combat zone. "Violent settlers are everywhere and the army is protecting them instead of Palestinian civilians. Some roads have become too dangerous," says Mouna.
Netanyahu has been governing since 2022 with the right-wing extremists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrish, who are pursuing precisely this escalation. There is only one solution: that the Israelis vote Netanyahu and his coalition partners out of office in the 2026 elections.
The Palestinians also need a new government. The president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, will soon be 90 years old. He has been in power since 2005, the last time he was elected was in 2006. He could be replaced by Marwan Barghouti. The 66-year-old is considered by the Palestinians to be a kind of Nelson Mandela.
The Israeli government is not interested in a serious Palestinian government
Mahmoud Mouna
For many Israelis, however, Barghouti is just a terrorist. He was sentenced to five life sentences plus 40 years in prison for his role as a leader in the second intifada in 2002 for ordering attacks against Israelis. He has been imprisoned since 2004. In contrast to many of the Hamas prisoners who have now been released, however, Barghouti has always spoken out against attacks on Israeli civilians. He has supported the two-state solution since the 1990s.
His name was also on the list for the prisoners to be released. But Netanyahu had it deleted. "That says it all," says bookseller Mahmoud Mouna. "The Israeli government is not interested in a serious Palestinian government."
6 – Tel Aviv, corner of Kaplan Street and Ibn-Gvirol
Law against chaos
Now that there is no longer a need to demonstrate for the return of the hostages in Hostage Square, the next demands are on the agenda. The protest movement is demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set up a commission of inquiry for October 7. It should finally clarify why the kibbutzim in the border area around the Gaza Strip were defenceless against the attack of Hamas. And who is responsible for it.
My answer to all the horror is the law, which is based on universal values
Yael Gvirsman
"It's wonderful that 20 hostages are coming home," says an Israeli mother whose son served in the army in that war. But she could not feel any joy: "What about the more than a thousand soldiers who died in Gaza for this terrible war?" The Israeli Ministry of Defense gives the number just before the ceasefire with 1152 dead soldiers.
Yael Vias Gvirsman is sitting at a small street table in front of the Kiosk restaurant. The lawyer has not had a quiet second since October 7, 2023. She founded "Justice without borders". "My answer to all the horror is the law, which is based on universal values," says Gvirsman.
It represents 425 Israeli victims' families, records the stories of those killed by relatives and documents the cases in detail. These "victim participation forms" are the basis for the lawsuits before the International Criminal Court. She hopes for further charges against Hamas fighters.
On this 13 October, Yael Gvirsman also treats herself to a small beer: "We have had very little to celebrate for two years. Le Chaim." Cheers.
www.falter.at/radio, The Podcast with Raimund Löw
Live report from Israel by Tessa Szyszkowitz
About the author
I am a Welt columnist and London correspondent for Falter and write primarily about foreign policy and the media.
This article was published on
14.10.2025 in
FALTER 42/2025
