As darkness fell, the mood was melancholic but hopeful as people waited for a visible confirmation that 13 women and children held by Hamas had been freed as planned. Then came a cheer as news of their release was confirmed.
People sang Shabbat or old folk songs as they waited outside the museum of art, where, among the poignant displays, was a dinner table with 240 empty seats, one for each of the missing hostages - not just the handful now in the slow process of coming home.
"I'm just looking at these pictures and seeing that Israeli children and women and whoever are just coming back to their families. I mean, it's just amazing for us," Gil Dickmann told the BBC - even though his cousin, Carmel Gat, was not set to be one of those released in the first wave.
Gradually, the names of those who were released began to filter out, their ages ranging from two to 85. First confirmed was Adina Moshe, 72, who was captured from the Nir Oz kibbutz, where her husband, Sa'id, was killed on 7 October, the day of Hamas's sudden and deadly raid across the Gaza border fence that Israeli's military had said was impenetrable.
This story is from the November 25, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 25, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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