Hostages out as truce holds

Three Israeli women freed by Hamas under prisoner swap deal | Hundreds of trucks queue to deliver aid supplies to Gaza

- Lorenzo Tondo, Bethan McKernan, Sderot Peter

Israel and Hamas have begun a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza with the release of three Israeli hostages, all of them women, in exchange for 90 Palestinians held in Israeli jails in the first tentative steps to end the brutal war that has claimed almost 47,000 Palestinian lives in the coastal strip.

As the fighting ceased, hundreds of aid trucks queued to enter Gaza and deliver supplies to its 2.3 million residents, 90% of whom have been displaced by the conflict, many multiple times.

The halt in the fighting and the exchange of hostages for prisoners, while representing the first key hurdle in the complex ceasefire deal, was delayed for several hours amid a dispute between Israel and Hamas that underlined continuing concerns over the fragility of the agreement.

During the delay at least 13 Palestinians were reportedly killed during a blitz of continuing Israeli airstrikes on the territory.

The ceasefire came into force a day before the inauguration of the incoming US president, Donald Trump, who had demanded an end to the fighting in Gaza.

Hamas released the three women to the Red Cross in a crowded square in central Gaza City. The UK-Israeli citizen Emily Damari, 28, was freed along with Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who were all violently abducted on 7 October 2023 during an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israeli communities bordering Gaza. The surprise raid killed 1,200 people and more than 250 hostages were taken into Gaza by the militants, according to Israeli tallies.

In images shared by her family after her release, Damari, who lost two fingers after being shot during her abduction, is seen smiling as she hugs her mother and talks to family members by phone.

As the hostages were released, Red Cross officials were also working in Israel's Ofer prison, north of Jerusalem, to process the release of Palestinian prisoners.