The Introspective

All remaining Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners have been released, as the region faces the challenge of recovery.

Following previous reports from The Introspective detailing the January ceasefire and multiple human rights groups finding that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a new ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas that ends the two-year bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

“This is not only the end of a war,” said President Donald Trump, who pushed for the ceasefire deal.

“This is the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God,” he continued.

“It’s the start of a grand concord and lasting harmony for Israel and all the nations of what will soon be a truly magnificent region.”

In a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal marked a “great day for Israel.”

“God willing, we will continue together in order to achieve all our aims and expand the peace with our neighbors,” he wrote.

In a statement obtained by The Introspective, Hamas said the group “values the efforts” of Trump while also thanking mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

“We call on President Trump, the guarantor countries, and various Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the agreement’s requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon,” the statement read.

Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh posted on X that officials “welcome” the ceasefire announcement.

“Hoping that this will constitute a step toward security, stability, and peace within the framework of a political process that leads to the implementation of the two-state solution,” he wrote.

This comes as nearly 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the events of Oct. 7, 2023, with estimates much higher.

Hostage and Prisoner Releases

Under the ceasefire agreement, 20 Israeli hostages were freed, with the bodies of two hostages returned to their families.

Twenty-four-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal was among the hostages. He was taken from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7 along with his brother, Gal, who escaped.

“The hardest thing for me is that I really went there to watch over him, watch over my baby brother, and I returned without him,” Gal told CBS News in May.

Thirty-two-year-old Avinatan Or was taken from the Nova music festival. His girlfriend, Noa Argamani, was freed by Israeli forces in June 2024.

Twenty-two-year-old Matan Angrest, a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was taken from a military tank in southern Israel. His mother, Anat, who previously criticized Netanyahu, addressed her son at a rally last week.

“I know you’re in pain, and I can’t hug you. I hear you whisper, ‘Come for me, Mom,’ and I can’t protect you,” she said.

At the same time, more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees — many held without being charged — were released, including Saber Masalma, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) who was sentenced to life in prison.

“He’s been locked up for 24 years,” said a relative of Masalma.

In a report by NPR, many prisoners alleged abuse and discrimination while held in Israeli custody.

“It was an indescribable journey of suffering — hunger, unfair treatment, oppression, torture, and curses — more than anything you could imagine,” said Kamal Abu Shanab, a PLO member from the West Bank.

His niece, Farah Abu Shanab, later said that relatives “don’t recognize him.”

“He’s not the person we knew. Our uncle doesn’t look like our uncle,” she said.

Other released prisoners include Raed Sheikh, a Palestinian police officer and PLO member. He was convicted in 2000 after being involved in the killing of two Israeli soldiers who were attacked at a West Bank police station.

Mahmoud Issa, a Hamas commander, was convicted in 1993 of killing and kidnapping an Israeli police officer. He spent the majority of his time in prison in solitary confinement.

Brothers Mohammed and Abel Jawad Shamasneh were convicted in 1993 after a stabbing attack that killed Israeli hitchhikers.

Humanitarian and Political Impact

Since the ceasefire, thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza from the south, with the majority of the city destroyed after two years of bombardment.

“The road is long and difficult, there’s no food or water,” said Alaa Saleh, a teacher who was displaced, to the BBC.

“I left my family behind and started walking north. Thousands around me are struggling. Hiring a car costs around 4,000 shekels ($1,227), far beyond what most people can afford,” he continued.

“My house was destroyed a year ago. I was living in a tent on the ruins, and I will go back and pitch my tent again. We just want to rebuild. We’re tired of living in tents that protect us from neither the heat of summer nor the cold of winter.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that rebuilding Gaza’s “shattered” health system is critical to peace and stability in the region.

“When the fighting stops, a new struggle will begin — to rebuild Gaza’s health system and rescue an entire population from the edge of famine and despair,” said Hanan Balkhy, WHO director for the Eastern Mediterranean, in a press release.

“Rebuilding Gaza’s health system will not only save lives today; it will restore dignity, stability, and hope for the future.”

It will cost $7 billion to restore Gaza’s health system, along with the $70 billion needed to rebuild the entirety of Gaza. A previous report from The Introspective found that 470,000 people —22% of Gaza’s population—are facing starvation, as more than 1.9 million have been displaced since October 2023.

The United Nations (UN) has increased the amount of aid entering Gaza since the ceasefire, stating that it is “just the beginning.”

“As part of our plan for the first 60 days of the ceasefire, the UN and our partners will expand the scale and scope of our operations to deliver life-saving aid and services to virtually everyone across Gaza,” the UN said in a press release.

In a letter signed by Donald Trump, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the group said that the ceasefire will be implemented in a “manner that ensures peace, security, stability, and opportunity for all peoples of the region, including both Palestinians and Israelis.”

“We are united in our determination to dismantle extremism and radicalization in all its forms. No society can flourish when violence and racism is normalized, or when radical ideologies threaten the fabric of civil life. We commit to addressing the conditions that enable extremism and to promoting education, opportunity, and mutual respect as foundations for lasting peace,” read the letter, obtained by The Introspective.

“We hereby commit to the resolution of future disputes through diplomatic engagement and negotiation rather than through force or protracted conflict. We acknowledge that the Middle East cannot endure a persistent cycle of prolonged warfare, stalled negotiations, or the fragmentary, incomplete, or selective application of successfully negotiated terms,” it continues.

“We commit ourselves to a future of enduring peace.”

The National: “How the Genocide Happened”

Despite the ongoing ceasefire, Israeli troops killed six Palestinians on Tuesday after alleging they were approaching soldiers in a “clear violation of the agreement.”

“After multiple attempts to distance them, the suspects refused to comply, prompting troops to open fire to remove the threat. Reports of terrorists infiltrating an IDF position are incorrect,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X.

“The IDF urges Gaza residents to follow instructions and keep their distance from IDF troops.”

This comes following a report from Scottish newspaper The National detailing years of rhetoric from Israeli politicians and media personalities that dehumanized Palestinians.

“No Arab will remain in Gaza,” read one quote.

“Israel should make Gaza look like Auschwitz Museum,” read another, referencing the Auschwitz concentration camp from the Holocaust that killed more than a million people.

“Over the last two years, we have witnessed a televised genocide and the wholesale breakdown of international and humanitarian law. Integral to this has been the systematic dehumanization of Palestinians and the outright criminal statements made by politicians against Palestinians,” said advocacy group Scotland for Palestine in the report, criticizing global leaders.

“Their statements and lack of action against Israel have emboldened the illegal occupation to commit some of the most heinous crimes against humanity.”