BREAKING: Gaza Ceasefire Begins as Hamas Announces First Israeli Hostages to Be Released

The Gaza ceasefire has commenced following Hamas’s release of names of the first Israeli hostages set to be freed, offering a glimmer of hope for peace in the region.

The long-anticipated ceasefire in Gaza has finally taken effect following a delay of almost three hours, allowing thousands of Gazans to start returning home.

The first three Israeli female hostages anticipated for release later have been identified by Hamas as 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, dual British-Israeli citizen Emily Damari, age 28, and Romi Gonen, who is 24 years old and was abducted from the Supernova Festival.

The ceasefire, initially scheduled to begin at 08:30 (06:30 GMT) on Sunday, was postponed at the last minute because Hamas did not provide Israel with the names of three hostages in time. According to Hamas, this delay occurred due to “technical field reasons.”

Until the ceasefire commenced, Israel persisted in launching strikes on Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 19 people today, as reported by the Hamas-run civil defense agency.

On October 7, 2023, an attack by Hamas on Israel resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 individuals who were taken as hostages to Gaza.

The assault prompted a large-scale Israeli offensive on Gaza, resulting in the reported deaths of over 46,800 Palestinians according to the health ministry governed by Hamas.

Despite the three-hour delay to this morning’s ceasefire, key mediator Qatar indicates that outside events are still proceeding as planned; specifically, the release of the first three female hostages is expected today. We have more information about these individuals here.

Qatar states, “Three of them are Israeli citizens; one also holds Romanian citizenship and another has British citizenship. Consequently, the ceasefire is now in effect.”

The release of the first three hostages is expected to occur sometime after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) today.

In a statement, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that four additional living female hostages might be released within seven days.

To provide context: Qatar, together with the US and Egypt, has been instrumental in facilitating mediation talks between Israel and Hamas.

This morning, thousands of internally displaced Gazans started returning to their homes.

Photographs from the region show long lines of people carrying clothing and other belongings. Additionally, images depict a convoy of cars, some with passengers holding the Palestinian flag.

The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) reports that thousands of trucks loaded with food and flour are currently waiting to enter Gaza, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

In a post on X, the agency announced that it has “4,000 truckloads of aid prepared to enter Gaza, with half of them containing food and flour.”

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, mentions that attacks on aid convoys in the Gaza Strip might decrease as humanitarian assistance arrives after a ceasefire.

Israel has released a list of 33 hostages scheduled to be freed by Hamas, as published at 01:10.

One ten in the morning

The list released by Israel shows that the first group of hostages to be freed by Hamas under the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement includes both the youngest and oldest individuals captured on October 7.

Israel’s official X account released an image listing the names of the first 33 hostages anticipated to be freed.

Kfir Bibas was only nine months old when he was initially taken, and he has now celebrated two birthdays in captivity. At 86 years of age, Shlomo Mantzur is the oldest hostage to have been abducted and is anticipated to be among the first group of hostages to be released.

Below is the list:

BBC