Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal holding after first hostage-prisoner swap

A fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was holding on Monday, following the dramatic exchange of three hostages for 90 Palestinian prisoners in an agreement aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in Gaza.

- Agence France-Presse

JERUSALEM: The three hostages, released on Sunday, all women, were reunited with their families and taken to hospital in central Israel where a doctor said they were in stable condition.

Hours later in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel left Ofer prison on buses, with jubilant crowds celebrating their arrival. As the ceasefire took effect, thousands of displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return home.

The truce began on the eve of the Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as US president, who has claimed credit for the agreement after months of fruitless negotiations.

If all goes according to plan, the implementation of the truce will take weeks if not months, with only the first phase of the truce agreed so far by all the parties.