The first three hostages released from Gaza arrived in Israel, the army announced on Sunday, a few hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has settled. Their mothers were waiting to meet them.
Footage shows the three women walking toward Red Cross vehicles in Gaza City, surrounded by a crowd that swelled into the thousands as people brandished cellphones and rushed into cars. The vehicles were accompanied by masked and armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and fought to guard the transfer of power.
All three women were taken for medical evaluation. “They appear to be in good health,” President Joe Biden said in a brief speech.
Footage released by the Israeli army showed them walking between the Red Cross and the soldiers, and one of the women, Emily Damari, 28, later raising her bandaged hand in triumph. The military said it lost two fingers in the attack that sparked the war.
In this photo released by the Israeli military, Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy use a smartphone near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel after Emily was freed from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday January 19, 2025. (Credit: Israel Army via AP) Uncredited.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in applause. For months, many people had gathered in the square to demand a ceasefire agreement. The women’s relatives jumped, clapped and cried.
“An entire nation embraces you,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were also released. Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, while the others were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Damari has dual Israeli-British citizenship and Steinbrecher has Israeli and Romanian citizenship.
Doron Steinbrecher, left, and her mother Simona stand near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel after Doron was freed from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, January 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP) Uncredited.
Romi Gonen, right, and his mother Merav stand near Kibbutz Reim in southern Israel after Romi was freed from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, January 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP) Uncredited.
The ceasefire marks the start of the first six weeks of calm and offers hope for the release of nearly 100 remaining hostages and an end to a devastating 15-month war. A last-minute delay by Hamas delayed the start of the truce by nearly three hours, but the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing later said it was committed to the ceasefire.
Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations broke out across Gaza and some Palestinians began returning home.
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The next step was the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners later on Sunday. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families and friends gathered enthusiastically as cars honked and people waved the Palestinian flag.
The truce, which began at 11:15 a.m. local time, is the first step towards a definitive end to the conflict and the return of hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Between the time of the planned ceasefire and the time it took effect, Israeli fire killed at least 26 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It was not specified whether they were civilians or combatants. The army has warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreat to a buffer zone inside Gaza.
Israel’s hard-liner National Security Minister said his Jewish Power faction was leaving the government in protest against the ceasefire. The departure of Itamar Ben-Gvir weakens Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truce.
In another development, Israel announced that it had found the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, during a special operation in Gaza. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained after the 2014 war.
What’s next
The ceasefire agreement was announced last week after a year of mediation between the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team had insisted that a deal be reached before Monday’s inauguration.
Netanyahu warned Saturday that he has Trump’s support to continue the fight if necessary.
The first 42-day phase of the ceasefire should allow the gradual return of 33 hostages and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The next release of the hostages is expected on Saturday.
There is also expected to be an influx of humanitarian aid, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza daily, far more than Israel previously allowed. The United Nations World Food Program said trucks began entering through two crossings. Biden’s top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, told CBS that 800 trucks are expected to arrive on Sunday.
It is only the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than a one-week pause in November 2023, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
“Joy mixed with pain”
Across Gaza there was relief and sorrow. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed large areas and displaced most of the population.
“This ceasefire was a joy mixed with pain, because my son was martyred in this war,” said Rami Nofal, a displaced man from Gaza City.
Masked activists appeared at some celebrations, where crowds chanted slogans in their favor, according to Associated Press journalists in Gaza. Hamas-led police began deploying in public after keeping a low profile due to Israeli airstrikes.
Some families return home on foot, their belongings loaded onto carts pulled by donkeys.
In the southern town of Rafah, residents returned to find massive destruction. Some found human remains in the rubble, including skulls.
“It’s like you’re watching a Hollywood horror movie,” said resident Mohamed Abu Taha, surveying the ruins of his family’s home.
Already, Israeli forces were withdrawing from certain areas. Residents of Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya in northern Gaza told the AP that they had not seen Israeli troops there.
Israelis divided over ceasefire deal
In Israel, the population remains divided on the agreement.
Asher Pizem, 35, from the town of Sderot, said the agreement simply postponed the next confrontation with Hamas. He also criticized Israel for allowing aid to Gaza, saying it would contribute to the revival of the militant group.
“They will take their time and attack again,” he said, observing the smoldering ruins of Gaza from a small hill in southern Israel with other Israelis gathered there.
When Biden was asked Sunday if he had any concerns about Hamas regrouping, he said no.
A huge toll
The toll of the war has been immense and new details will now emerge. The head of Gaza’s Rafah municipality, Ahmed al-Sufi, said much of the infrastructure, including water, electricity and road networks, had been destroyed, along with thousands of homes.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which says women and children account for more than half of the deaths, but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants kidnapped about 250 others. More than 100 hostages were released during the ceasefire week in November 2023.
Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. Reconstruction – if the ceasefire reaches its final stages – will take at least several years. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and otherwise, remain unanswered.
Magdy reported from Cairo and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press journalists Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Sam Mednick in Ramallah, West Bank, and Mohammad Jahjouh in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.