In an emotional and historic exchange on Monday, Hamas released the final 20 living hostages held since the Oct. 7 terror attack, while Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners under a U.S.-brokered cease-fire deal that President Donald Trump called “the dawn of a new Middle East.”
Scenes of jubilation unfolded across the region — Israelis celebrating as families embraced freed loved ones for the first time in more than two years, and crowds cheering in the West Bank as Palestinian detainees reunited with relatives.
Photos released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office showed one freed hostage playing with his children — a moment that symbolized relief and recovery after years of captivity.
President Trump, speaking from a summit in Egypt, outlined what he described as a 20-point plan to bring lasting stability to the Middle East.
He said “phase two” of that plan — focusing on Gaza’s future governance — has already begun.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel and former Michigan House Majority Leader Rocky Raczkowski joined WDIV to share his perspective on the fragile but historic agreement.
“The cease-fire is very strong right now, at least in phase one,” Raczkowski said. “The fact that the hostages were released and that the bodies of those that were killed are going to be released as well over a period of time. And the other issue is Israel did release about 2,000 prisoners that they had, about 1,750 individuals that they’ve captured during the war, and about 250 life sentence prisoners that they released as well.”
He added that much of the success so far stems from regional pressure.
“The international community today met, as you saw, with President Trump in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt,” said Raczkowski. “And they talked about the peace treaty Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. These are Islamic nations that are keeping Hamas in check. They were the ones that actually, now we find out, were the ones that pushed Hamas to actually making this cease fire deal.”
According to Raczkowski, reports from Gaza suggest some Hamas members are targeting collaborators accused of working with Israel — a sign of ongoing internal volatility. Still, he remains “cautiously optimistic” about Trump’s vision for a lasting peace.
“The pressure from the Arab world is against Hamas, moving Hamas with the peace deal,” he said. “And one of the issues with phase two is that Hamas relinquishes their power and that a transitional form of government comes in to bring peace. And then the economic phase three, which is the economic redevelopment of Gaza.”
Raczkowski noted that efforts are still underway to recover the remains of hostages who did not survive.
While phase one of Trump’s 20-point peace plan marks a major milestone, world leaders and observers agree that the next steps — rebuilding Gaza and ensuring stability — will determine whether this moment truly ushers in a “new Middle East.”