3 hostages freed by Hamas arrive in Israel as tenuous Gaza ceasefire clears first hurdle
The first three hostages freed from Gaza have entered Israel, the military announced Sunday, hours after a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Their mothers were waiting to meet them.
The footage shows the three women walking to Red Cross vehicles in Gaza City, surrounded by thousands of people with mobile phones on top of cars. The vehicles were masked, armed forces wearing green Hamas headdresses fighting to secure the handover.
Further observations of the three women were not immediately available as they were taken for medical evaluation. “They seem to be in good health,” US President Joe Biden said in a brief speech.
In Tel Aviv, Israel, thousands gathered to watch the news on big screens erupted in applause. For months, many have gathered in the square to demand a ceasefire. The female relatives jumped and clapped and cried.
“An entire country will embrace you,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Romy Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released. Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival, and the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Demari is a dual Israeli-British citizen, while Steinbrecher holds Israeli and Romanian citizenship.
The cease-fire agreement initially brought six weeks of calm and raised hopes for the release of nearly 100 hostages and an end to the devastating 15-month war. A last-minute delay by Hamas delayed the start of the truce by three hours, but a spokesman for Hamas’ military wing later said it was committed to a ceasefire.
Even before the cease-fire came into effect, celebrations were held around Gaza and some Palestinians began to return home.
90 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released early next Sunday. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families and friends gathered in jubilation as cars honked and people waved Palestinian flags.
The truce, which began at 11:15 a.m. local time, is the first step toward a final end to the conflict and the return of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
At least 26 people have been killed by Israeli fire between the proposed cease-fire and its hold, according to Gaza’s health ministry. It is not clear whether they are civilians or combatants. The military warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreated to a buffer zone in Gaza.
Israel’s hard-line national security minister said the Jewish Power faction was leaving the government in protest of the ceasefire. Itamar Ben-Givir’s departure weakens Netanyahu’s alliance but does not affect the rapprochement.
Separately, Israel announced that it had found Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation in Gaza.
What’s next?
The ceasefire was announced last week after a year of mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team have pushed for a deal ahead of Monday’s inauguration.
Netanyahu warned on Saturday that he had Trump’s support to continue the fight if necessary.
The first phase of the 42-day ceasefire should allow the gradual return of 33 hostages and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The next hostage release is expected on Saturday.
The hundreds of trucks entering Gaza every day will require an increase in humanitarian aid, far beyond what Israel has allowed in the past. The United Nations World Food Program said trucks have started entering through two crossings. Brett McGurk, Biden’s top Middle East adviser, told CBS 800 trucks are expected to arrive on Sunday.
This is the second ceasefire agreement in the war, longer and more consequential than the one-week pause in November 2023, which has the potential to end the fighting for good.
Negotiations on the most difficult second phase of the ceasefire are due to begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first phase.
“Happiness mixed with pain.”
There was relief and sadness on the Gaza side. The war killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed large areas, and displaced most of the population.
Rami Nofal, an evacuee from Gaza City, said: “This cease-fire was joy mixed with pain, because my son was martyred in this war.”
According to Associated Press reporters in Gaza, masked gunmen were seen at some of the celebrations. Due to Israeli airstrikes, police began to deploy in public.
Some families loaded their belongings on donkey carts and walked home.
Residents of the southern city of Rafah have returned from extensive damage. Some found human remains in the rubble, including skulls.
“It’s like watching a Hollywood horror movie,” resident Mohammed Abu Taha said as he surveyed the ruins of his family’s home.
Already the Israeli army was withdrawing from the area. Residents of Betlahiya and Jabalia in northern Gaza told APA that they had not seen Israeli soldiers there.
The Israelis were divided by the cease-fire.
In Israel, people are divided because of the agreement.
Asher Pizem, 35, from the city of Sderot, said the deal postponed the next clash with Hamas. They also criticized Israel for allowing aid to enter Gaza, saying it would contribute to the revival of the militant group.
They said they would take their time and attack again, watching the smoldering ruins of Gaza from a small hill in southern Israel along with other Israelis.
Asked Sunday if he was worried about Hamas regrouping, Biden said no.
High cost
The damage caused by the war is enormous, and new details are coming out now. Ahmed al-Sufi, the head of Rafah Municipality in Gaza, said that in addition to thousands of homes, most of the infrastructure, including water, electricity and road networks, had been destroyed.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, with women and children accounting for more than half of the dead, but there is no distinction between civilians and fighters.
A Hamas-led offensive in southern Israel that sparked the war killed more than 1,200 people, while civilians and militants kidnapped nearly 250 others. In November 2023, more than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire.
90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced. Reconstruction – once the ceasefire reaches its final stage – will take at least several years. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and other, remain unresolved.
