- First three Israeli hostages return home
- 90 Palestinian prisoners planned to be released
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold in the Gaza Strip yesterday (19), ushering in an initial six-week period of calm and raising hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held hostages and an end to the devastating 15-month war. A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the truce’s start by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.
Hamas and Egyptian officials confirmed the handover of the first hostages to the Red Cross was underway, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. It was not clear how long the process would take.
Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations erupted across the territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes. Israel, meanwhile, announced the names of the first three hostages expected to return home later Sunday, in exchange for the planned release of 90 Palestinian prisoners.
The truce, which started at 11.15 a.m. local time, is the first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack.
An Israeli official confirmed that Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were set to be released later in the day. Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival, while the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the families had approved the publication of the names.
Anticipation was building. Hundreds of people began gathering in Tel Aviv to watch the news on large screens in a square where thousands had gathered weekly for months to demand a ceasefire deal.
Hamas was supposed to provide the names before the start of the ceasefire, originally planned for 8.30 a.m. It released the names about two hours later, citing technical reasons and saying it was still committed to the agreement.
In the interim between 8.30 a.m. and when the ceasefire took hold, Israeli fire killed at least 26 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It did not say whether they were civilians or fighters. The military has warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreat to a buffer zone inside Gaza
Israel’s hard-line National Security Minister, meanwhile, said his Jewish Power faction was quitting the Government in protest over the ceasefire agreement. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure weakens Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce.
In a separate development, Israel announced it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation in Gaza. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained there after the 2014 war and had not been returned.
(AP)