After 15 months of war that began with a brutal attack on Israel by Hamas, a ceasefire has taken effect in the Gaza Strip.
Three more Israeli hostages returned home and nearly 100 Palestinian prisoners were freed from an Israeli jail on Sunday (January 19).
It was the start of the implementation of an incredibly complex and fragile agreement between Israel and Hamas to stop the fighting and return all the remaining hostages — alive and dead — in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Three Israeli women — Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Emily Damari, 28, and Romi Gonen, 24, were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and driven to an Israeli military base to be reunited with their mothers before being flown to the Sheba Medical Centre near Tel Aviv.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of people who gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in applause.
For months, many had gathered in the square weekly to demand a ceasefire deal.
“An entire nation embraces you,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a message to the freed women.
Dual British citizen Emily Damari held up a bandaged hand as she embraced her mother.
She lost two middle fingers when she was shot during her kidnap from the Kfar Aza kibbutz on October 7, 2023.
Romi Gonen was also shot in the hand when she was kidnapped from the Nova music festival.
It’s unclear how that injury is affecting her now.
Veterinary nurse Doron Steinbrecher who was also taken from Kfar Aza, was overwhelmed with emotion and and wept constantly while embracing family members.
Her family said: “After an unbearable 471 days, our beloved Dodo has finally returned to our arms.”
“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and accompanied us along this journey.”
“A special thank you to the people of Israel for their warm embrace, unwavering support, and the strength they gave us during our darkest moments.”
“We also extend our gratitude to President Trump for his significant involvement and support, which meant so much to us.’’
The release is the first of possibly as many as 10 or 11 of a total of 33 hostages to take place at staggered intervals over the next six weeks as part of phase one of the ceasefire deal — as long as it holds.
In exchange for the three hostages, Israel released 90 Palestinians from the Ofer Detention Centre in the West Bank.
They were handed over to the Red Cross, before being taken to a designated area from where they returned home.
There were fireworks and whistles, and shouts of “God is great.”
Those released were hoisted onto others’ shoulders or embraced.
The most prominent freed detainee was Khalida Jarrar, 62, a member of a secular leftist faction that was involved in attacks against Israel in the 1970s, but later scaled back militant activities.
Since her arrest in late 2023, she was held under indefinitely renewable administrative detention orders that were criticised by human rights groups.
The next release of hostages and prisoners is due on Saturday (January 25).
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the deal’s most prominent critic, has long objected to the ceasefire — saying it ruins Israel’s main war objective to destroy Hamas in Gaza..
He declared his far-right Jewish Power party would resign en masse from the government.
He pledged not to attempt to overthrow the government, but the move leaves Prime Minister Netanyahu with a razor-thin majority in parliament — and the possibility of more resignations from his ruling coalition.
Across Gaza, there is relief and grief. The fighting has killed tens of thousands, destroyed large areas and displaced 90% of the population.
Many families set off for their former homes on foot with their belongings loaded onto donkey carts.
Within minutes of the ceasefire taking effect, more than 630 trucks filled with humanitarian aid entered Gaza.
UN officials hope to send in 500 to 600 truckloads of aid daily throughout the coming weeks.
Gazan authorities report a large part of the infrastructure, including water, electricity and road networks, has been destroyed, in addition to thousands of homes.
Rebuilding — if the ceasefire reaches its third and final phase — is expected to take several years at least.
Major questions about how that will be financed and managed, as well as Gaza’s political future, remain unresolved.
Photos: Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Shows Romi Gonen (top) and Emily Damari (centre) with their mothers.
