Three Israeli hostages have been freed and aid has started flowing into Gaza after a ceasefire came into force on Sunday, pausing the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas.
Many Palestinians in the devastated territory were seen returning to their ruined homes after fighting stopped – with nearly three hours’ delay – on Sunday morning.
Other Gazans poured onto the streets in celebration as the deal, which puts the conflict on hold for an initial six-week period, finally became reality.
Expectant crowds gathered later in Gaza City as Hamas militants handed the three female hostages over to Red Cross workers, who then transferred them to Israeli forces.
24-year-old Romi Gonen, 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, 28 – who also has British citizenship – were reunited with their mothers at a military base in southern Israel, the Israeli Defense Force said.
Ninety Palestinian detainees were due to be freed by Israel in the occupied West Bank on Sunday evening in return.
Under the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire, 600 truckloads of key supplies are to be allowed into Gaza every day, with half heading to war-torn northern areas. The United Nations’ World Food Programme posted videos of its trucks, loaded with flour and ready-to-eat food parcels, heading into Gaza from Egypt.
Other Gazans poured onto the streets in celebration as the deal, which puts the conflict on hold for an initial six-week period, finally became reality.
Expectant crowds gathered later in Gaza City as Hamas militants handed the three female hostages over to Red Cross workers, who then transferred them to Israeli forces.
24-year-old Romi Gonen, 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, 28 – who also has British citizenship – were reunited with their mothers at a military base in southern Israel, the Israeli Defense Force said.
Ninety Palestinian detainees were due to be freed by Israel in the occupied West Bank on Sunday evening in return.
Under the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire, 600 truckloads of key supplies are to be allowed into Gaza every day, with half heading to war-torn northern areas. The United Nations’ World Food Programme posted videos of its trucks, loaded with flour and ready-to-eat food parcels, heading into Gaza from Egypt.
Thirteen killed during ceasefire delay
However, the long delay ahead of the ceasefire taking effect on Sunday morning was a reminder of how fraught the accord is.Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks killed 13 Palestinians between 08:30 local time, when the ceasefire was meant to begin, and 11:15, when it actually took effect, Palestinian medics said, quoted by the Reuters news agency.
Israel blamed Hamas for the delay, after the Palestinian militant group failed to provide a list naming the first three hostages to be released, which it said was a condition of the deal. Hamas attributed the delay to "technical" reasons.
Next stages
The three hostages released on Sunday were kidnapped during Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 – the event that provoked this bloody chapter of the long-term conflict in the region.Around 1,200 people died during the militants’ assault, while Israel’s response has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians, according to local Hamas-run health authorities.
The ceasefire deal was signed on Wednesday after months of sporadic negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. It comes into effect the day before Donald Trump takes office in Washington, and the president-elect's team was involved in the later stages of the peace talks.
The peace framework is composed of three stages. During the first phase, nearly 2,000 Palestinians will be freed in exchange for 33 hostages over six weeks. Details of the second and third phases are yet to be worked out, with negotiations set to start during the initial pause.
It remains to be seen whether the accord will be respected by Israel and Hamas. The militant organization’s spokesperson said on Sunday that it would abide by the agreement but added that the remaining hostages could be at risk if Israel violated the terms of the deal.
Israel’s prime minister warned on Saturday that it retains the right to resume the war in Gaza if talks on future arrangements prove fruitless.
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