Israeli authorities confirmed that Hamas handed over the first three women captive as a ceasefire agreement for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip came into effect.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Sunday evening that Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, had been handed over to the Red Cross and were “between good hands” in Israel. .
The Red Cross vehicles took off from Gaza City, in the heavily besieged northern part of the enclave, after Hamas brought the captives to as-Saraya Square as a crowd gathered.
A Red Cross delegation was checking the identities of 90 Palestinian prisoners before their release from Israeli Ofer prison, as part of the ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire deal is expected to take place in three phases and includes sending more humanitarian aid trucks to Gaza to ease the disaster in the enclave. The first stage will last 42 days, while Israeli forces withdraw from parts of Gaza.
Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida said in a televised speech that the Palestinian group was committed to the deal, but its continued implementation would depend on Israel’s reciprocity.
A deal could have been reached more than a year ago but was blocked by the “malicious ambitions” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Obeida said.
The Israeli leader insisted he would continue to fight as some far-right lawmakers in his government, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, resigned in protest. Netanyahu stressed after the release of the first captives that Israel will achieve all of its goals in the war, including “defeating” Hamas and freeing all captives.
The United Nations and world leaders also welcomed the ceasefire, with outgoing US President Joe Biden saying “the guns in Gaza have gone silent.”
Thousands of Palestinians celebrated the long-awaited ceasefire that could improve conditions in Gaza, after more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks that have killed at least 46,913 Palestinians and left thousands missing.
From As-Saraya Square, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Ibrahim al-Khalili described scenes of joy among the crowds.
“They are beyond excited,” he said. “Everywhere, celebrations are taking place after 15 months of war which destroyed everything. This is a historic moment.
The prisoners should be immediately taken to Israeli forces for identification and then flown to a hospital in central Israel. They will stay there for at least four days for psychological and medical evaluations after being reunited with their families.
The Israeli Prison Service, along with Israeli forces, reported this week on how they were preparing for the release of captives.
Around 250 people were captured during the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Around 100 captives still remain in Gaza after others were released in late 2023 or their bodies were found, although it is not clear how many are alive.
Tel Aviv Tribune has obtained the list of 90 Palestinian prisoners who will be released in exchange for the three Israeli captives.
All come from the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, the list including mainly women and some children.
The list includes the name of Khalida Jarrar, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the occupied West Bank. Others on the list include at least 12 young Palestinians, some under the age of 19, and minors.
According to Tel Aviv Tribune’s Nida Ibrahim, many children and minors were arrested on charges related to throwing stones at Israeli forces.
“We are talking about light sentences,” she said. “The list of prisoners, the hundreds of names that have been published, are mostly in administrative detention, a tactic used by Israeli policy to keep people in prison indefinitely without charge. These administrative detentions are constantly renewed.
Hours before the ceasefire took effect, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed during the war between Israel and Hamas in 2014, whose remains have been held ever since.
