First Israeli hostages released in Gaza under ceasefire deal
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The news: Hamas has released three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross under a fragile ceasefire that began Sunday morning, marking the first steps in a six-week truce to pause a devastating 15-month war.
The ceasefire began at 11:15am local time on Sunday after a nearly three-hour delay.
The first three female Israeli hostages — identified as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari — were released and were en route to Israeli military forces, according to reports.
Live footage showed the hostages walking between vehicles in a convoy surrounded by an unruly crowd.
The context: The agreement, mediated by Qatar and Egypt with US support, involves exchanging 33 hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and allowing aid into the devastated territory.
Aid deliveries have started, with 600 trucks expected to be allowed into Gaza every day of the initial six-week ceasefire, including 50 carrying fuel, AP reported.
Meanwhile, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and two other ministers from his nationalist-religious party resigned from the Cabinet over the deal, according to reports.
Negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire, including discussions on freeing remaining hostages, are expected to begin in just over two weeks.
The numbers: Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, with women and children making up more than half the fatalities, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, while Hamas' initial attack on southern Israel killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
The sources: Reuters , Bloomberg , Associated Press
