Middle East world leaders sign peace plan with 20 Israeli hostages released from Gaza

“Today is a great day”: a feeling of joy mixed with sadness

I’m Briar Stewart, CBC’s foreign correspondent in Jerusalem.

A few hundred people, with tears in their eyes, gathered in Jerusalem in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to watch the release of the hostages.

This is one of the places protesters have gone over the past two years to demand their government do more to secure a hostage release deal.

With the release of the 20 hostages still alive, people speak of a feeling of jubilation mixed with sadness.

“For me, this is a happy day. Most of the time, I couldn’t smile. Today is a great day,” Helena Nahmad, 67, told CBC News. She told CBC News she used to go out regularly to demonstrate for the hostages, but the events of the past two years have left her suffering from depression.

“I know a lot of people don’t like Trump, but for us, he gave us a solution and put pressure on… Netanyahu.”

She and many of the hostage families believe that Netanyahu has squandered previous peace agreements.

On Saturday night, when US Special Envoy Steven Witkoff led thousands into Tel Aviv’s hostage square, he had to repeatedly ask the crowd to stop booing when he mentioned Netanyahu’s name.