A Month of Hope and Renewal

After months of negotiations, former U.S. President Donald Trump presented his “Trump Plan”, a bold initiative aimed at bringing home all remaining hostages from Gaza, both living and deceased and ending the war. The plan envisioned all hostages being returned to Israel within 72 hours, in a single comprehensive deal.

In practice, however, the return happened in stages.
First, 20 living hostages were released and reunited with their families, marking the end of two years of painful waiting.
Later, throughout October and early November, 24 fallen hostages were gradually returned to Israel - including Hadar Goldin, whose body had been held in Gaza since August 2014.

Still held by Hamas are four fallen hostages: Ran Gvili, Dror Or, Meni Godard and Sontisek Rintalk - names that remain etched in the hearts of the Israeli people.
For two long years, their families have waited, every day and every night, for their loved ones to finally come home.

During the tense negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Israeli delegation, led by Minister Ron Dermer, hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, worked alongside U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari mediators.

At the White House, Trump said: “We have a real chance. I truly believe it will happen. The people of Israel want this, and even Hamas knows it’s time to end this.”

When the news finally broke, an entire country exhaled. Streets filled with flags, families embraced and in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, a massive banner appeared reading: “Thank You Trump.”

But this month wasn’t only about return, it was also about renewal.
In Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a touching story captured the nation’s heart.
During the October 7th attack, terrorists stole an old Ferguson 135 tractor from 1969. It was later found overturned and abandoned in a ditch near the kibbutz. Rather than discard it, residents decided to restore it. They pulled it out, repaired, repainted, and brought it back to life.

Their post read: “They came to destroy what we built, to break us - but we grow stronger and return life to the fields. Nahal Oz agriculture was strong, and it will stay strong, until the very last furrow.”

The tractor, like Israel itself, became a living symbol of resilience, courage, and rebirth.
Thousands of Israelis wrote messages of admiration and hope, calling the farmers “heroes,” “the salt of the earth,” and “inspiring beyond words.”

October 2025 will be remembered as the month when Israel truly breathed again. Not only because of those who came home, but because of a nation that refused to stop rebuilding, remembering, and choosing life.