Scores of Palestinian detainees have been freed as Israel’s truce deal with Hamas takes hold.
Israel releases 90 Palestinian prisoners after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages
The majority of the released Palestinians were from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while others were from East Jerusalem, Israeli media reported, citing the country’s prison authority.
According to the reports, most of those released were women and minors.
Israel has agreed to release 2,000 imprisoned Palestinians under the terms of the ceasefire deal.
Fireworks were launched in celebration as buses carrying former detainees arrived in the West Bank de facto capital of Ramallah, with thousands waiting to welcome them.
The release comes after Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages, kicking off the implementation of the group’s ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Here are the latest developments from Israel, Gaza and the wider Middle East on Monday, January 20:
Israeli hospital says released hostages in ‘stable condition’
The first three Israeli hostages to have been released since Sunday’s ceasefire are said to be in a “stable condition,” according to the hospital near Tel Aviv where they are being examined.
“It will take a few more days to complete all the needed examinations,” the Times of Israel quoted Sefi Mendelovich, deputy director general of health at Sheba Medical Center, as saying.
Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher were freed on Sunday after spending more than 15 months in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Ninety Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange for their release. People flooded into the streets to welcome the Palestinian returnees arriving in buses in the occupied West Bank overnight.
In total, 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over in return for 1,904 Palestinians as part of Israel’s ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
UN says more than 630 trucks entered Gaza after truce deal
More than 630 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to the UN.
“As the ceasefire entered into force … humanitarian aid moved into Gaza as part of a prepared surge to increase our support to survivors,” UN under-secretary for relief Tom Fletcher said in a social media post.
He said more than 630 trucks had entered the territory, with at least 300 of them going north.
“We recognize the logistical challenges facing those delivering this aid, including mountains of rubble and unexploded remnants of war,” Fletcher said.
Thousands of Palestinians carrying tents and their personal belongings were seen returning to their homes on Sunday, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas began. The vast majority of Gaza’s population of 2.4 million people has been displaced by 15 months of war between the two sides.
Freed Israeli hostage says she has ‘returned to life’
One the Israelis held hostage by Hamas and released on Sunday said that she has “returned to life” after being freed.
Emily Damari, who is 28-years-old, thanked her family and supporters in an Instagram post shared by Israeli media.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m the happiest in the world,” Damari said.
Damari is a dual Israeli-British citizen and returned from captivity with a bandaged hand.
Authorities said she had lost two fingers during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 were abducted.
Released hostages in ‘relatively good health’ — DW’s Israel correspondent
DW correspondent Tania Krämer was at the hospital near Tel Aviv where three Israeli hostages were reunited with their families and said they appeared to be “in relatively good health,” considering the ordeal they had endured.
“The medical team at the hospital said last night that they want the hostages now to focus on being with their families, being with their friends, taking back control of their lives because their medical condition allows it,” Krämer said.
On Sunday, the Hamas militant group handed over three female hostages — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher — as part of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Krämer said there had been a “sigh of relief” when the first pictures of the hostages emerged.
“They were standing on their own feet, they were able walk,” she said, pointing out that the families of the hostages did not know in what condition their loved ones were in.
There had been concerns about their phsyical condition because two of the hostages were injured during the Hamas-led terror attack on October 7, 2023.
Krämer said the released hostages were expected to stay in the hospital for some time to undergo further medical tests.
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza appears to be holding for now, Krämer added, but went on to say that “everyone was aware how complex and fragile the whole process will be.”
Four more Israeli hostages are expected to be released on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Gaza facing ‘immense’ health challenges — WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for aid organizations to be given full access to the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect.
“Addressing the massive needs and restoring the health system will be an extremely complex and challenging task,” the UN health agency said in a press release, adding that the “health challenges ahead are immense.”
The WHO said that it was “ready to scale up the response” along with other UN agencies and aid organizations.
It called for the removal of ” security obstacles hindering operations” and the establishment of “conditions on the ground that allow systematic access to the population across Gaza.”
The agency said that most of Gaza’s hospitals had been damaged or partly destroyed and only 38% of primary health care centers were functional. It also warned of the spread of diseases and the continued risk of famine.
