Gaza/Tel Aviv/Sharm el-Sheikh, Oct 14 (UNI) Marking a significant step towards ending the two-year war in Gaza, Hamas returned all living Israeli hostages, while Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, as phase one of the US-brokered peace plan to end the war came into effect on Monday.

Heartwarming scenes were seen as families of Israeli hostages screamed with tears of happiness rolling down at the sight of their loved ones.
Palestinians freed from Israeli jails were greeted by joyous flag-waving crowds after they reached Gaza and the West Bank in buses
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US President Donald Trump landed in Israel minutes after the first hostages were reunited with their families, and in a speech to Israel's parliament, the Knesset, declared a "historic dawn in a new Middle East", BBC reported.
Trump then flew on to a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet more than 20 world leaders to discuss later phases of his Gaza peace plan.
At the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Qatar, Turkey and the US inked a declaration as guarantors of the ceasefire deal aimed at ending two years of war that has left Gaza in ruins.
"I am overwhelmed with emotion and joy," said Arbel Yehoud, a former hostage herself who was reunited with her partner Ariel Cunio when he was released on Monday.
"For over two years, the hope of holding Ariel again is what sustained and drove me every single day," she said, the BBC report said.
The Israeli military said it would execute forensic examination to confirming the dentities of corpses of hostages returned by Hamas.
It is thought the remains of up to 24 others hostages remain in Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement, published by Israeli media, appears to have acknowledged that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate where all the remains are within the timeframe given.
As part of the agreement, around 1,700 Palestinian detainees who had been held by Israel without charge were freed.
One Palestinian woman reunited with her son said her heart was finally at peace.
"Honestly, the happiness and joy is indescribable, despite the suffering... today we came to celebrate," the report quoted a Palestinian man as saying..
Israel also released around About 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, with around 100 being freed into the occupied West Bank. Others were deported and a small number released into East Jerusalem.
Trump, who addressed Israel's parliament Knesset - the first US president to be given the honours since 2008 - was warmly greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his arrival.
"At last, not only for Israelis but also Palestinians, the long and painful nightmare is finally over," he told the chamber during a long address, with some politicians' breaking out into chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump".
There was a brief interruption, when an opposition member held up a piece of paper that said "Recognise Palestine".
Trump then flew onto Sharm El-Sheikh where he met more than 20 world leaders - including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the leaders of many Muslim and Arab countries.
Among those also in attendance was former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who - under Trump's plan - is slated to play a key role in a "Board of Peace" for Gaza that would be headed and chaired by the US President.
As per the peace plan, Gaza would initially be governed by a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the "Board of Peace", before power is eventually transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) once it has undergone reforms.
However, the apples of discord include the extent and timeline of Israeli troop withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip.
Asked when phase two of negotiations on a peace agreement will begin, Trump replied: "It's started".
"The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other," he added.
Israel began its offensive to retaliate against the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which saw 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken hostage back to Gaza.
The hostilities have seen over 67,000 deaths according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. UNI SQ SSP