DEIR ALBALA, Gaza Strip (AP) – Israeli media carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera is showing the first images of the first three hostages to be released.
They were seen walking among the vehicles as the convoy moved through Gaza city. A large crowd had gathered, many of them holding mobile phones and taking pictures. A number of armed men wearing green Hamas headbands were nearby, apparently trying to secure the vehicle.
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A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was reached in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, beginning an initial six-week period of calm, leading to the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and an end to a devastating 15-month war. My expectations were high. Last-minute delays by Hamas delayed the start of the ceasefire by nearly three hours, highlighting its fragility.
Hamas and Egyptian officials confirmed on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media that the handover of the first hostages to the Red Cross was underway. It’s unclear how long this process will take.
Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations occurred across the territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes. Meanwhile, Israel announced the names of the first three hostages scheduled to return home later on Sunday in exchange for the planned release of 90 Palestinian prisoners.
The ceasefire, which began at 11:15 a.m. local time, is the first step towards finally ending the conflict and returning the nearly 100 hostages abducted in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. It will be.
Israeli officials confirmed that Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, are scheduled to be released later Sunday. Gonen was abducted from the Nova Music Festival, and the others were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Azha. Damari is a dual Israeli and British citizen.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, said the family members had approved the publication of their names.
My expectations were high. Hundreds of people began gathering in Tel Aviv to watch the news on large screens in the square where thousands had gathered each week to seek a cease-fire agreement.
Hamas had planned to make the names public before the start of the ceasefire, which was originally scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Citing technical reasons, Hamas said it was still honoring the agreement and Their names were announced two hours later.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 26 people were killed by Israeli shelling between 8:30 a.m. and the ceasefire. It did not say whether they were civilians or combatants. The military warned citizens to stay away from Israeli forces retreating to a buffer zone within the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israel’s hardline national security minister said his Jewish faction would resign from the government in protest of the ceasefire agreement. Itamar Ben Gvir’s resignation will weaken Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, but will not affect the ceasefire.
In a separate development, Israel announced that 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.
fragile agreement
The ceasefire agreement was announced last week after a year of mediation between the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s teams had called for a deal to be reached by Inauguration Day on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Saturday that he had President Trump’s support to continue the fight if necessary.
The first phase of the 42-day ceasefire is supposed to bring back 33 hostages from Gaza and free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Many displaced Palestinians should be able to return to their homes.
Humanitarian aid is also expected to surge, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza each day, far more than Israel had previously allowed. According to the United Nations’ World Food Programme, after the ceasefire was established, trucks began entering the area from two intersections.
This is only the second cease-fire in the war, and is longer and more significant than the one-week truce in November 2023, which could end the fighting permanently.
Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of the ceasefire are expected to begin in just over two weeks. Big questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first phase and how the remaining hostages in Gaza will be freed.
Palestinians celebrate late
Celebrations erupted across the Gaza Strip as people sought respite after fighting left tens of thousands of people dead, large swathes of territory destroyed and most of the population evacuated.
An Associated Press reporter in Gaza said masked gunmen appeared at some of the celebrations and crowds chanted slogans in support of them. Hamas-run police, largely inactive due to Israeli airstrikes, have begun deploying in public.
Some families load their belongings onto donkey carts and head home on foot.
The southern city of Rafah saw extensive destruction as residents returned. Some people found human remains, including skulls, in the rubble.
“It’s like watching a Hollywood horror movie,” resident Mohamed Abu Taha told The Associated Press as he toured the ruins of his family’s home.
Israelis divided over ceasefire agreement
In Israel, public opinion remained divided over the agreement.
Asher Pizem, 35, from the city of Sderot near Gaza, said he was looking forward to the return of the hostages, but said the deal only postponed the next clash with Hamas. He also criticized Israel for allowing aid to the Gaza Strip, saying it would lead to a resurgence of armed groups.
“They will take their time and attack again,” he said as he and other Israelis gathered there looked down on Gaza’s smoldering ruins from a hill in southern Israel.
Israel’s cabinet approved the ceasefire in an unusual meeting during the Jewish Sabbath early Saturday morning, more than two days after mediators announced the agreement.
huge casualties
The cost of war is enormous, and new details about its extent will emerge in the coming days. Ahmed al-Sufi, the ruler of the Gaza Strip’s Rafah city, said Israeli forces had destroyed thousands of homes as well as much of the infrastructure, including water, electricity and road networks.
The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, with more than half of the dead being women and children, but it does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that started the war killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the militants abducted about 250 people. More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023.
Approximately 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The United Nations said housing, health systems, road networks and other critical infrastructure suffered significant damage. Reconstruction will take at least several years, even if the ceasefire reaches its final stages. Other major political and other questions regarding Gaza’s future remain unresolved.
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Mr. Magdy reported from Cairo and Mr. Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press Jerusalem reporter Joseph Federman and Gaza Strip reporter Mohammad Jajou in Khan Yunis contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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