Hostages home at last as Trump hails 'an historic new dawn for the Middle East' and calls for an 'everlasting peace'

ALL 20 of the surviving Israeli hostages seized by Hamas were finally freed from hell yesterday and reunited with their thrilled families as Donald Trump hailed a “new beginning” for the Middle East.

- By Giles Sheldrick Chief Reporter

Over - and out...Mr Trump and PM Netanyahu salute peace; freed Palestinian in Ramallah

The captives — abducted amid the terror group’s massacre of 1,200 Israelis on October 7 2023 - returned home after more than two years, with the US president declaring their “nightmare finally over”.

They included David Cunio, 35, and his brother Ariel, 28 — whose last message to his family had said: “We are in a horror movie.”

Both were released, like twins Gali and Ziv Berman, 28, who were forced into Gaza to be held in a maze of tunnels for 738 days.

Last night coffins holding the remains of the first four of 28 dead hostages were escorted by armoured Israeli vehicles back from Gaza for identification in Tel Aviv.

Hamas had said it would return the bodies of Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi, Guy Illouz and Bipin Joshi. The remaining 24 deceased captives are set to be repatriated shortly.

Earlier, in a tub-thumping and historic speech to the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, MrTrump said: “This week we have done the impossible and brought our hostages home.

“Now we are going to forge a future worthy of our heritage. This is an historic new dawn for the Middle East - the long and painful nightmare is finally over. Now it is time to translate these victories on the battlefield into everlasting peace.”

In a deeply personal and at times grandstanding speech MrTrump, 79, said “decades of extremism, jihadism and antisemitism” had backfired as a region ravaged by thousands of years of conflict prepared for a fresh start. He added: “Together we have shown that peace is not a hope — we can build on it day by day, nation by nation, and the Middle East is ready to embrace its extraordinary potential. This is now a very exciting time for Israel and for the entire Middle East.

‘This has been an honour. I love Israel - I'm with you all the way’