Millions of Israelis shouted “Thank you, Trump!” as he secured a peace agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war

In a scene straight out of a long-awaited dream, hundreds of thousands of Israelis flooded Hostages Square here Saturday night, their voices rising in a thunderous chorus of “Thank you, Trump!” Waves of American and Israeli flags rippled through the crowd like a sea of stars and stripes fused with blue-and-white hope. For the first time in nearly two years, the plaza – once a grim vigil of grief and protest since Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023, attack – transformed into a festival of fragile optimism. The occasion? The second full day of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, holding steady as the world holds its breath for Monday’s promised release of the 48 remaining hostages.

The air buzzed with an electric mix of tears, hugs, and Hebrew folk songs echoing off the surrounding buildings. Families clutched faded photos of loved ones, their faces now lit by smiles rather than flickering candles. “This is it – they’re coming home,” sobbed Rachel Cohen, whose brother, IDF soldier Eli Cohen, was abducted from a kibbutz border outpost. “President Trump didn’t just broker a deal; he gave us back our lives.” Estimates from police and organizers pegged the turnout at 300,000 to 400,000 – dwarfing previous weekly rallies that had devolved into bitter chants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Tonight, boos for Netanyahu mingled with the cheers, underscoring deep domestic rifts even in triumph.

At the heart of the celebration stood U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, flanked by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the power trio dispatched by President Donald Trump to seal the historic accord. Witkoff, gripping the microphone amid deafening applause, declared, “President Trump is owed deep gratitude from every corner of this great nation. This isn’t just a pause in fighting – it’s the dawn of something unbreakable.” The crowd erupted, many donning red “Make America Great Again” hats procured from street vendors hawking them alongside hostage awareness ribbons. Kushner, who shuttled between Cairo and Jerusalem in marathon talks, tempered the euphoria: “We’re not popping champagne yet. Save it for Monday, when phase one concludes and our brothers and sisters walk free.” Ivanka, her voice steady despite the chaos, invoked “healing for this dark chapter,” drawing roars of solidarity. A massive banner unfurled overhead: “Nobel President Trump – Peace Through Strength.”

The ceasefire, the first phase of Trump’s ambitious 20-point “Gaza Peace Plan,” took effect Friday morning after Israel’s security cabinet greenlit it Thursday. Hammered out in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh with mediators from Qatar, Turkey, and the U.S., the deal mandates Hamas release all 48 captives – 20 believed alive, including twins Gali and Ziv Berman snatched from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and the remains of 28 others – by noon local time Monday. In exchange, Israel will free 250 long-term Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 wartime detainees, while pulling troops from about half of Gaza’s urban zones. Netanyahu, in a terse statement, thanked Trump but stressed Israel’s retention of “operational freedom” to counter threats. “This framework ends the immediate bloodshed,” he said, though critics decried it as a “surrender” without full Hamas disarmament.

As of Sunday dawn, the truce appeared to hold. No major violations reported overnight, per IDF spokespeople. In Gaza, satellite imagery revealed thousands of displaced Palestinians tentatively trekking north toward ruined homes in Gaza City and Khan Younis, dodging craters from 67,000+ deaths and near-total infrastructure collapse. “It’s desperation, not safety, driving us back,” said one resident, Abu Hassan, to BBC reporters, sifting through rubble where his apartment once stood. Hamas fighters, per unconfirmed reports, were repositioning to reassert control in vacated areas, raising eyebrows among Israeli hawks. U.S. Central Command, meanwhile, dispatched troops to establish a coordination center in southern Israel, bolstering monitoring efforts.

Trump, fresh from Oval Office briefings, teased his own Middle East swing. “Monday or Tuesday, the hostages come back – then I’m heading over to celebrate with our friends,” he posted on Truth Social. The president, who touted the plan as “unprecedented diplomacy,” urged Israel to halt all bombing immediately, calling Gaza “too dangerous” for extractions. His role drew bipartisan U.S. praise: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “a masterstroke,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson hailed Trump as “the peacemaker we needed.”

Yet beneath the revelry lurks trepidation. Past deals crumbled – the last in January 2025 freed only a fraction before hostilities flared. Hostage families like the Illouzes, mourning son Michel’s confirmed death in captivity, warn against complacency. “Joy today, but justice tomorrow,” said father Ofir Braslavski, a rally speaker who credited Trump’s “bulldog negotiators” for the breakthrough. In Gaza, celebrations were muted; relief from aerial barrages mixed with fury over unmet demands for full Israeli withdrawal.

Globally, reactions poured in. Egypt’s President al-Sisi invited Trump to a Cairo signing ceremony, dubbing it a “new era.” Britain’s Keir Starmer labeled it a “historic turning point,” pledging aid for Gaza’s reconstruction. Russia and China echoed cautious support, though UN officials fretted over Phase Two: Hamas’s demilitarization and Gaza’s interim governance, potentially under an Arab-led coalition.

As dawn broke over Tel Aviv, the square slowly emptied, but the chants lingered in the air. For Israelis scarred by 1,200 slaughtered on October 7 and endless rocket sirens, this feels like a sliver of normalcy reclaimed. Trump’s gamble – blending hardline pressure with shuttle diplomacy – has, for now, silenced the guns. Monday’s handover at Re’im Base will test if hope endures. If it does, historians may well etch this as the moment the Middle East pivoted from endless war to wary peace. Until then, Israel – and the world – watches, prays, and waits.