As the first phase of the ceasefire began on Sunday, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on Monday after Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages. The move from both sides completed the first exchange under the truce which is aimed at bringing an end to over 15 months of war in Gaza. The initial 42-day truce was brokered by mediators from Qatar, the US, and Egypt.
The three hostages, all women, which were released by Hamas on Sunday were reunited with their families and taken to the hospital where they were declared to be in stable condition. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, hours later, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of the exchange departed Ofer prison on buses around 1:00 am (2300 GMT Sunday). Jubilant crowds warmly celebrated their arrival in the nearby town of Beitunia.
Thousands of displaced Palestinians across the devastated Gaza Strip set off to return to their homes as the ceasefire took effect on Sunday morning. “We are finally in our home. There is no home left, just rubble, but it’s our home,” Rana Mohsen, 43, said, after returning to Jabalia.
The truce is aimed at providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and restoration of peace in the region. During the initial truce, 33 Israeli hostages, including 31 abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, are set to be returned from Gaza in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian detainees. Among them, over 230 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences for fatal attacks against Israelis are scheduled for deportation, according to a list released by Israeli authorities. Two Hamas officials indicated that these prisoners would primarily be deported to Qatar or Turkey.
The Israel Prison Service confirmed the release of 90 prisoners on early Monday. Soon after the truce began on Sunday, the United Nations said that the first trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered the Palestinian territory. Welcoming the truce, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid.”
According to the aid workers, northern Gaza was particularly hard hit and there was a severe crisis of essentials including food, shelter and water. The World Health Organization said that it was ready to send aid into Gaza, but added that it would require “systematic access” across the territory for the purpose. “Restoring the health system in Gaza will be a complex and challenging task, given the scale of destruction,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
(With AFP inputs)
