Carrying her small daughter, an Israeli mother stood amid a crowd of people next to the helipad of the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, which on Sunday received the three former hostages released in a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.

Hundreds of Israelis gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, some cheering and some in tears, as a giant television screen broadcast the first glimpse of the first three hostages to be released under the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Gathered in a conference room at an undisclosed location alongside military personnel, the families were exuberant as they witnessed the end of 471 days of captivity for their relatives.