The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday said that three of the Israeli hostages were freed and returned to Israel after they were handed over to the country’s forces in Gaza. IDF in a post from their official X handle said, “They’re home.” With the three Israeli hostages reaching their home country, the initial hurdle of the Gaza ceasefire was crossed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in a statement said that the Israeli government embraces the three women hostages who were returned.
“The Government of Israel embraces the three women who have returned. Their families have been updated by the relevant authorities that they are with our forces. The Government of Israel is committed to returning all of the hostages and missing,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office read.
The women hostages included Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. The Israeli Government said that security forces will accompany them and their families.
Live footage of Israeli hostages broadcast
The three hostages were first transferred to the Red Cross and were taken to the Israeli forces, hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold.
Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed the hostages walking between vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza City, surrounded by a huge crowd, with many people holding up phones and filming.
The vehicles were accompanied by armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and struggled to guard the cars from an unruly crowd that swelled into the thousands.
Israel expected to release 90 Palestinian prisoners
Israel is expected to release around 90 Palestinian prisoners. A gradual release of 33 captives over the next six weeks has been agreed on. In exchange, Israel will release almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained.
Israel’s military said the three released hostages would undergo an initial medical assessment.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal
The deal ushers in an initial six-week period of calm and raises hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held hostages and an end to the devastating 15-month war. A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the truce’s start by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.
Even before the ceasefire took effect, celebrations broke out across the territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes.
The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time, is the first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
