Gaza ceasefire begins: Israel frees 90 prisoners after Hamas returns 3 hostages
The first three hostages were released from Gaza and the first Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli custody as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold following 15 months of war, with mixed emotions and more difficult steps ahead over the next six weeks.
A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the truce's start by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.
Gaza ceasefire begins
What we know:
A Red Cross convoy was on its way to pick up the first Israeli hostages in Gaza.
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The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home.
Protesters calling for the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip react after a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was reached on January 15, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
There is also supposed to be a surge of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily, far more than Israel allowed before. The United Nations' World Food Program said trucks started entering through two crossings after the ceasefire took hold.
Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations erupted across the territory. 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 prisoner: Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival, while the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen
What we don't know:
It was not clear how long the hostage release process would take.
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’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Ceasefire delayed
The other side:
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.
The backstory:
The ceasefire deal 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 had both pressed for an agreement to be reached before the inauguration on Monday.
Why you should care:
This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than a weeklong pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
Netanyahu on Saturday warned that he had Trump's backing to continue fighting if necessary.
The Source: This report includes information from the Associated Press.