Jan. 19 (UPI) — The first three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian captives were released Sunday, signs that a long-awaited cease-fire was taking effect in Gaza, even as the Israel Defense Forces continued to operate and strike targets in the enclave.
As the transfer of captives took place Sunday, displaced Palestinians in Gaza began returning to their homes and documenting the devastation while rejoicing in the pause, and possible end, of the nearly 500-day war.
Among the photos shared were pictures of destroyed Israeli tanks and vehicles, a sign of the difficulty the IDF faced in achieving its war objectives. And images of the Palestinian flag being raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were returned to Israel, the IDF confirmed on social media, and were to undergo an initial medical assessment of their condition.
“Romi, Doron and Emily — a whole nation embraces you, welcome back home,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Facebook. “This moment was achieved by the sacrifice and fight of our heroic warriors — heroes of Israel, I pledge: we will bring them all home!”
A group representing families of those taken captive by Hamas and other Palestinian militias on Oct. 7, 2023, called their return home a “moment of light in the darkness.”
“For the families and for all of us, it is a moment that will not be forgotten,” the group said in its statement. “Their return reminds us of the heavy responsibility to continue working for the release of all until the last of the abductees is returned home.”
Meanwhile, the Israel Prison Service confirmed to UPI in an email early Monday local time that it released 90 prisoners Sunday night from the Ofer Prison and the Jerusalem Detention Center.
“The prison service personnel are carrying out the release of prisoners in accordance with the agreed-upon political framework for the return of the hostages, in full coordination with all security forces,” the statement said.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, a governmental body of the Palestinian Authority, had earlier revealed the names of the 90 women and children who would be released from Israeli captivity in the exchange.
According to Palestinian news agency WAFA, the Palestinians released consisted of 69 women and 21 children, with 76 of them from the occupied West Bank and 14 from Jerusalem.
Photos taken from the notorious Ofer Prison showed the International Committee of the Red Cross teams preparing to receive the Palestinian captives.
Still, the commission noted that one Palestinian prisoner, Muhammad Jabr, a 22-year-old from Deheishe Camp-Bethlehem, died in captivity from injuries he had sustained. He had been in administrative detention in the Negev Desert Prison since 2023 as it described allegations of civil rights abuses of Palestinian detainees.
And despite the announcement of the ceasefire deal, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society — which works closely with the ICRC — said early Sunday that it had recorded violations by Israeli forces including the injury of paramedic Maha Wafi.
“The surroundings of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City are also being targeted by the occupation forces while the staff of the association are there,” the PRCS said.
But officials like U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi indicated that they had high hopes for the ceasefire and trust that it would lead to lasting peace.
“A durable Gaza Ceasefire will bring immense relief to devastated Gaza. We rejoice with all those for whom the nightmare is over,” Grandi said. “But we must also trust that it leads to serious negotiations and to just, lasting peace for both peoples, so that no more ceasefires will be needed.”
Meanwhile, U.N. officials said more than 630 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Sunday, with 300 of them going to the north.
“There is no time to lose,” Tom Fletcher, under secretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, said in a statement.
“After 15 months of relentless war, the humanitarian needs are staggering.”