Despite losing more than 17,000 fighters in a relentless 15-month-long war campaign, Hamas rallied dozens of armed and masked terrorists to present an intimidating front for TV cameras during Sunday’s release of three Israeli hostages.

Israel’s longest war has so far failed to destroy its main enemy, Hamas, which, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself – and a failure for Israel.

Israeli hostages released from Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal face a long road to recovery. As Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem, experts say the physical and psychological trauma they and others endured will take time to heal.

Hamas is a Palestinian armed group and political movement in the Gaza Strip. On 7 October 2023 it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Israel says it has killed thousands of the armed group’s members and destroyed much of its infrastructure, but since the cease-fire started Hamas has shown it still holds power in the enclave.