Hamas freed three Israeli hostages while Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners yesterday, marking the first day of a ceasefire halting a 15-month-long conflict that has ravaged the Gaza Strip and intensified tensions across the Middle East.
The truce enabled Palestinians to return to bombed-out neighborhoods to begin rebuilding their lives, with relief trucks delivering critical aid, reports Reuters.
In other parts of Gaza, crowds celebrated as Hamas fighters emerged from hiding.
Fireworks lit up the sky as buses carrying Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah, West Bank, where thousands awaited to welcome them. The released detainees included 69 women and 21 teenage boys from the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to Hamas.
In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis gathered, cheering and crying in a square near the defense headquarters. A live broadcast from Gaza displayed three female hostages boarding a Red Cross vehicle amid Hamas fighters.
The Israeli military identified the freed hostages as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari. A video showed them in seemingly good health, with Damari—who sustained injuries during her abduction—smiling and embracing her mother while displaying a bandaged hand.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing a commander via phone, said, “I would like you to tell them: Romi, Doron, and Emily – an entire nation embraces you. Welcome home.”
At Sheba Medical Center, the hostages were reunited with their families, sharing emotional embraces. Damari, draped in an Israeli flag, appeared smiling. These women were among over 250 abducted during a Hamas raid on Israel on October 7, 2023, which also left 1,200 dead, according to Israeli reports.
Medical officials in Gaza report over 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the conflict began. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are now homeless, with around 400 Israeli soldiers also losing their lives.
Under the truce terms, fighting has ceased, aid is being sent into Gaza, and 33 of the approximately 100 remaining Israeli and foreign hostages are expected to be freed during the six-week first phase, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Many hostages are feared dead.
