Thousands of people flooded Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, against the backdrop of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the hostage exchange provided for in the Trump plan.

The crowd chanted slogans such as bring them back now, while many held US and Israeli flags, as well as photos of the hostages.

As reported by the BBC, a woman next to the network's correspondent broke into tears as she tried to explain what this very night meant to her."I'm so happy," she said, adding that she has been participating in the weekly rallies in Tel Aviv Square for two years. Although she says she doesn't know any of the hostages personally, she feels like they are family to her.

The agreement stipulates that 48 hostages, including some dead, who are in Gaza must return to Israel by noon on Monday.

In return, Israel must release 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 who had been arrested by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in October 2023.

Witkoff: I was dreaming about this last night.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff was also present at Hostage Square, and he gave a speech, accompanied by the US President's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner.

It is recalled that Witkoff and Kushner are the two individuals chosen by Donald Trump to carry out the agreement between the two sides.

I was dreaming about this night. It was a long journey, said Witkoff, as the crowd applauded him. I wish the president (ed. Donald Trump) was here too – he would love it, he added, to the sounds of celebration.

However, the atmosphere ceased to be so warm when Witkoff mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Let me finish my thought, said the American envoy, trying to soften the disapproval of the people. In this context, he stated that Netanyahu played a very important role, but the mood of the crowd did not seem to change.

The crowd gathered at Hostage Square erupted in applause again when Steve Witkoff thanked US President Donald Trump once again. He said we all owe him a deep debt of gratitude, while addressing the hostages: You are returning home.

In the Gaza Strip, Witkoff and Kushner

Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that American envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, traveled to the Gaza Strip today.

Israel's Chief of Staff of the National Defense General Staff Eyal Zamir visited the Gaza Strip today with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and the head of the US military command for the Middle East (Centcom), Admiral Brad Cooper, the military said.

Hamas: We will not be present at the signings

It is worth noting that a member of Hamas' political bureau told Agence France-Presse that the Palestinian organization's delegation will not participate in the signing of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

"As for the official signing, we will not be present," Hossam Badran said in an interview with AFP, stressing that the Palestinian Islamist movement is acting through Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

The idea of expelling Hamas members from Gaza, as envisaged in US President Donald Trump's peace plan to end the war in the Palestinian enclave, is absurd, Badran said.

The Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip are in their land, where they lived, among their families and their people. It is therefore natural for them to remain there, said Hossam Badran. Talk of expelling Palestinians, whether they are members of Hamas or not, from their land is absurd and foolish, he added.

Hamas will defend itself if the American plan to end the war in Gaza fails, Badran also said. We hope not to return (to war), but the Palestinian people and the resistance forces will certainly (…) use all their capabilities to repel aggression if battle is imposed on them, he stressed.

Negotiations for the second phase of the American plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza will be more complex, said the leading figure of the Palestinian Islamist movement.

The second phase of negotiations requires more complex discussions and will not be as easy as the first phase, said Hossam Badran. There are complexities and many difficulties, which requires negotiations that may take longer, he added.