3 Israeli Hostages Returned by Hamas as Gaza Ceasefire Begins
The hostages were freed in exchange for what was expected to be 90 Palestinian prisoners The post 3 Israeli Hostages Returned by Hamas as Gaza Ceasefire Begins appeared first on TheWrap.
Three Israeli women, hostages for 15 months in the Israel-Hamas war, were set free on Sunday and reunited with their families at the start of a ceasefire that was expected to begin an ongoing exchange of captives from both sides.
The hostages were freed in exchange for what was expected to be 90 Palestinian prisoners in the early days of the ceasefire. The women, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, were accompanied by Israel Defense Force and other special forces on their journey to Israeli territory.
The first stage of the deal was expected to bring freedom to 33 hostages over six weeks. That list includes two of the American citizens presumed to still be alive. President Joe Biden said four more Israeli women were expected to be released within a week, with another two weeks before the start of the second phase.
Word of the truce sparked off celebrations in Gaza, where Palestinians honked horns, played music and fired guns to welcome the news after more than a year of fierce hostilities.
The IDF said soldiers had begun to withdraw from war-torn Gaza. Hamas gunmen paraded through areas that had been evacuated by the Israeli forces, the New York Times reported.
The cease-fire is the product of months of talks between Egypt, Qatar and the United States. The war began Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas soldiers invaded Israel, killing 1,195 people and taking 251 captives; Israel launched its bombing and infantry campaign into Gaza three weeks later.
The post 3 Israeli Hostages Returned by Hamas as Gaza Ceasefire Begins appeared first on TheWrap.
