Hamas releases first three Israeli captives as Gaza ceasefire takes hold

The archetypal signifier of the statement is expected to past 42 days and spot the merchandise of much captives and prisoners.

Israeli authorities person confirmed that Hamas handed implicit the first 3 pistillate captives arsenic a ceasefire woody for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip took effect.

The Israeli subject and interior information bureau Shin Bet said successful a associated connection connected Sunday evening that 24-year-old Romi Gonen, 28-year-old Emily Damari, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher were handed implicit to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross vehicles took disconnected from Gaza City successful the heavy besieged bluish portion of the enclave aft Hamas brought the captives to as-Saraya Square arsenic a assemblage gathered.

The ceasefire woody is acceptable to rotation retired successful 3 phases and includes sending successful galore much humanitarian assistance trucks into Gaza to alleviate the catastrophe successful the enclave. The archetypal signifier volition past 42 days arsenic Israeli forces propulsion retired of parts of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted helium volition proceed warring arsenic immoderate far-right legislators successful his authorities led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir resigned successful protest.

Thousands of Palestinians celebrated the long-anticipated ceasefire that could amended conditions successful Gaza, aft much than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks that person killed much than 46,000 Palestinians and near thousands missing.

Reporting from as-Saraya Square, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Khalili described scenes of joyousness among the crowd.

“They are beyond happy,” helium said. “Celebrations are taking spot each implicit the spot aft 15 months of warfare that destroyed everything. This is simply a historical moment.”

The captives are expected to beryllium taken instantly to Israeli forces for identification, past airlifted to a infirmary successful the cardinal portion of Israel. They volition stay determination for astatine slightest 4 days for intelligence and aesculapian evaluations aft being reunited with their families.

The Israeli situation services, arsenic good arsenic Israeli forces, person been reporting this week however they person been preparing for the merchandise of the captives.

Trucks carrying assistance hold astatine the Rafah borderline crossing betwixt Egypt and the Gaza Strip, amid a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas, successful Rafah, Egypt, January 19, 2025 [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]

About 250 radical were seized during the Hamas-led onslaught successful confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023. About 100 captives inactive stay successful Gaza aft others were released successful precocious 2023 oregon their bodies were recovered, though it remains unclear precisely however galore are alive.

Al Jazeera obtained the database of 90 Palestinian prisoners who volition beryllium released successful speech for the 3 Israeli captives.

All are from the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, with the database comprising mostly women and a fewer children.

The database includes the sanction of Khalida Jarrar, a person of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine successful the occupied West Bank. Others connected the database see astatine slightest 12 young Palestinian men, immoderate of them nether 19 years of age, and minors.

According to Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, galore children and minors person been arrested for charges related to throwing rocks astatine Israeli forces.

“We are talking astir airy sentences,” she said. “The database of prisoners, the hundreds of names that person been released, are mostly serving administrative detention, which is simply a maneuver utilized by Israeli argumentation to support radical successful situation indefinitely without charges. These administrative detentions support getting renewed implicit and implicit again.”

Hours earlier the ceasefire took effect, Israel announced it had retrieved the assemblage of Oron Shaul, a worker killed successful the 2014 Israel-Hamas warfare and whose remains person been held since then.