The New Yorker:

In Hostages Square, in Tel Aviv, there were scenes of unimpeded joy overnight, as news broke of a peace agreement.

By Ruth Margalit

On Thursday, shortly after 1 a.m. in Israel, a sleepy screening of documentaries by recent film graduates on Channel 12 was interrupted by breaking news. An anchor announced that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas had just been reached. The broadcast cut to the White House; footage showed President Donald Trump holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed him a slip of paper.

It was a handwritten note, caught by the Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, that said “very close.” Both words were underlined. “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first,” the message went on. Not long after, it was official. “This is the post we’ve likely all been waiting for,” the Israeli anchor said. She went on to read, in Hebrew, Trump’s statement: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” it began. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

News of a ceasefire had been expected ever since Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, held a joint press conference last week to announce their support for a White House proposal to end the war, and Hamas responded in a way that was marketed by Trump as a yes. But now it was official: the hostages would return home on Monday. It was as though Israelis drew in a collective breath and then exhaled. At the plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which had been rebranded as Hostages Square, late-night scenes of unimpeded joy erupted. Families of hostages, who have until now been restrained in their public reactions to a prospective agreement, allowed themselves to break down in tears of relief.

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