A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached on Monday, with both sides entering the initial phase of a six-week pause in fighting that could end the war that began in October 2023.
So far, three of the 99 hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza have been freed, with 30 more set to be released in the first phase of the deal.
According to Hamas, Israel has also freed 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, all of whom are women and teenagers, with hundreds more prisoners to follow.
The United Nations has increased vital food aid to Gaza and said it plans to bring 150 trucks of food every day to help Palestinian civilians who have seen their lives upended by the fighting.
More than 1.8 million people need emergency shelter in Gaza, according to the United Nations, which also estimated in a report last year that it could take until 2040 to rebuild the area’s destroyed housing.
The ceasefire began around noon Sunday, and a few hours later a Red Cross convoy brought hostages Romy Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher safely back to Israel.
Early Monday, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, transporting them in large buses from Israel’s Ofer prison just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah. Palestinians crowded onto the buses, chanting slogans and cheering as celebratory fireworks went off.
The ceasefire followed months of negotiations led by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. Talks have intensified over the past few weeks, with teams from both the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump pushing for a deal ahead of Trump’s Monday inauguration.
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli counter-attacks since the October 2023 attack has risen to more than 46,900, most of them women and children, although the Israeli military has claimed without providing evidence that it has killed 17,000 militants.
In addition to releasing people and delivering aid to Gaza, the agreement also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw to the buffer zone inside Gaza and enable many displaced Palestinians to return home.
Top Israeli officials support the ceasefire, but not all.
Israel’s hardline national security minister says his Jewish Power faction is leaving the government in protest over the ceasefire agreement. Itamar Ben-Gvir’s departure will weaken Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the truth.
Negotiations on a much more difficult second phase of this ceasefire are to begin in just two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first phase and how the remaining hostages in Gaza will be freed.
VOA UN correspondent Margaret Beshear contributed to this report. Some information in this report comes from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
