Hamas releases Israeli hostages as 15-month truce begins

At least three female hostages freed by Hamas were reunited with their mothers inside Israel, Reuters reports.

Armed Hamas fighters drove through the southern city of Khan Younis, where crowds cheered and chanted.

People navigated narrow roads through a shattered landscape of wreckage and twisted metal in the north of the region, which had been blasted into oblivion during the war’s most fierce combat.

“I feel like at last I found some water to drink after being lost in the desert for 15 months,” Aya, a displaced woman from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip for over a year, said after the fighting stopped. “I feel alive again.”

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis gathered in a square outside the defence headquarters to watch a live feed from Gaza of the captive rescue on a huge screen.

The crowd shouted, embraced, and wept as three female hostages were spotted entering a Red Cross car accompanied by armed Hamas fighters.

Soon after, the Israeli military announced that Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari had been reunited with their moms at a meeting site inside Israel, near the kibbutz and nearby music festival where they had been kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas raid that sparked the conflict.

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In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, buses were awaiting the release of Palestinian inmates from Israeli custody.

According to Hamas, the first group to be liberated in exchange for the hostages consists of 69 women and 21 juvenile boys.

The first phase of the 15-month-old truce between Israel and Hamas went into effect after a three-hour delay during which Israeli jets and artillery bombarded the Gaza Strip.

According to Palestinian health authorities, the last-minute Israeli onslaught killed 13 individuals. Israel criticised Hamas for being late in delivering the names of the hostages it would release and claimed it had struck terrorists. Hamas claimed that the delay in sending the list was due to a technical issue.

“Today the guns in Gaza have gone silent,” U.S. President Joe Biden said on his last full day in office, welcoming a truce that had eluded U.S. diplomacy for more than a year.

“The road to this deal has not been easy at all; it was a long road,” Biden said. “But we’ve reached this point today because of the pressure Israel built on Hamas, backed by the United States.”

The truce asks for an end to combat, the delivery of aid to Gaza, and the release of 33 of the 98 Israeli and foreign hostages who are currently being held there during the course of the six-week first phase in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates detained in Israeli jails.

The truce could allow Hamas to emerge from the shadows after 15 months of concealment. Hamas officers dressed in blue uniforms were quickly deployed in various places.

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Those who had come to cheer the fighters chanted, “Greetings to Al-Qassam Brigades,” the group’s military wing.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Hamas’ release of three hostages, including British citizen Emily Damari.

In a statement on Sunday, Starmer said, “The release of three hostages today is wonderful and long-overdue news after months of agony for them and their families. Among them is British citizen Emily Damari, who will now be reunited with her family, including her mother Amanda, who has never stopped her tireless fight to bring her daughter home.

“I wish them all the very best as they begin the road to recovery after the intolerable trauma they have experienced. We stand ready to offer assistance and support.

“However, today also represents another day of suffering for those who haven’t made it home yet—so while this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas.

“We must now see the remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of those remaining hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a permanent and peaceful solution.”

UN Women released a statement in response to the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, calling it news that “brings relief for the one million women and children” in Gaza who have been subjected to Israeli attacks over the last 15 months.

The UN said, “UN Women welcomes the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, including the hostage release deal, which went into effect today.

“We join the Secretary-General in expressing hope that all parties will honour their commitments to ensure this agreement paves the way for a lasting peace for women and girls in Palestine, Israel, and the region.

“The news of the ceasefire brings relief for the one million women and girls who have lived under continued bombardment, without safety in Gaza, for the last 470 days.

“The news of the initial release of hostages brings immense relief to them and their families. The ceasefire agreement marks a crucial step towards stability and peace.”

Hamas releases Israeli hostages as 15-month truce begins