The first three Israeli hostages returning home under a long-awaited Gaza ceasefire were transferred to the Red Cross on Sunday, a Hamas official and the Israeli military said.
The hostages, all women, were “officially handed over to the Red Cross” in Gaza City before being returned to Israel, a senior Hamas official told AFP.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, after more than 15 months of war, came hours after it took effect in the morning, about three hours behind schedule.
During the delay, Israel’s military said it was continuing to operate, with the area’s civil defense agency reporting 19 dead and 25 injured in the bombing.
Minutes after the ceasefire began, the United Nations said the first trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid had entered the Palestinian territory, as displaced, war-weary Palestinians cross the devastated Gaza Strip to return to their home areas. Had set out.
Following the war, which displaced most of Gaza’s population, in many cases more than once, thousands of people were seen walking home, carrying tents, clothing and their personal belongings.
In the northern region of Jabaliya, hundreds of people returned to a post-apocalyptic landscape littered with floating debris and destroyed buildings along sandy roads.
“We are finally in our home. There is no house left, only debris, but this is our home,” said Rana Mohsen, 43, in Jabaliya.
Another returning resident, Walid Abu Jiyab, said he had witnessed “massive, unprecedented destruction” with “nothing left” in Gaza’s war-torn north, which has seen intense violence in the past months.
In the southern city of Rafah, Ahmed al-Balawi said that “as soon as I returned…I was shocked.”
“Entire areas have been completely destroyed,” he told AFP, describing “rotting bodies, debris and destruction everywhere”.
‘Massive’ aid effort
Aid workers say northern Gaza is particularly hard hit, where essentials including food, shelter and water are lacking.
Jonathan Whittall, interim head of the UN’s OCHA humanitarian agency for the Palestinian territories, said on Friday that the first trucks had started entering the city following the ceasefire, following a “massive effort” to prepare for an increase in aid across the territory. Gave.
The cease-fire was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT), but a last-minute dispute over the list of hostages to be freed on the first day halted the ceasefire.
Qatar, the broker of the ceasefire, later confirmed that it had gone into effect.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group identified the three women to be released later on Sunday as Emily Damri, Romy Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher.
The Israeli military said that “the Red Cross has informed that three Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way to be taken by Israeli forces”.
Hamas previously said it was waiting for Israel to submit “a list containing the names of 90 prisoners from the categories of women and children” who would be released on the first day.
A total of 33 Israeli hostages, 31 of whom were taken by militants during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of approximately 1,900 Palestinians in Israeli custody. will be changed.
The ceasefire is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war, but the second phase has not yet been finalized.
It follows the agreement reached by Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations.
In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu called the first phase a “temporary ceasefire” and said Israel had US support to return to war if necessary.
In Gaza City, people were celebrating in the streets waving Palestinian flags long before the ceasefire took effect.
The Israeli military warned Gaza residents early Sunday not to approach its forces or the “buffer zone” near Israeli territory “for their own safety.”
In Israel, the ceasefire was met with cautious optimism.
“I don’t trust our side or their side,” said taxi driver David Gutterman. “There’s always something at the last minute, a problem may come up, but overall I’m really happy.”
Shai Zack, an employee at Tel Aviv’s art museum, said he had “mixed feelings” but that he was “hopeful” that the hostages would return after several disappointments over the past year.
Israel has prepared reception centers to provide medical treatment and counseling to freed hostages before they are returned to their families. Health workers have warned about the psychological challenges detainees face after release.
600 trucks
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatty said 600 trucks would enter Gaza every day after the ceasefire took effect, including 50 trucks carrying fuel.
Hostages held by militants were also released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in the war’s only previous ceasefire for a week in November 2023.
Hamas’ October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Of the 251 taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, of whom 34 have been killed according to the Israeli military.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing at least 46,913 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers credible.
The ceasefire took effect on the eve of the inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term as President of the United States.
Trump, who claimed credit for the ceasefire agreement after months of efforts by President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration, told US network NBC on Saturday that he had told Netanyahu the war “has to end”.
“We want this to end, but let’s keep doing what we have to do,” he said.
Announcing the deal, Qatar’s Prime Minister said, under the agreement, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow displaced Palestinians to return “to their homes”.
