Israel-Hamas 6-Week Ceasefire... 3 Hostages Released After 471 Days

90 Palestinian Prisoners Also Released
World Leaders Welcome Ceasefire...
Biden and Trump Both Claim Credit

On the 19th (local time), Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas entered the first phase of a ceasefire, resulting in the release of three Israeli hostages held by Hamas after 471 days. Additionally, 90 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel were also freed.

According to reports from AP and CNN on the day, Hamas released three women who were kidnapped during their October 7, 2023, attack on the Israeli border area. They are Romi Gonen (24), who was abducted at the Nova Music Festival; Emily Damari (28), a British dual citizen kidnapped near the Palestinian border at Kfar Aza kibbutz; and Doron Steinbrecher (31), a Romanian dual citizen. The Israeli military received the hostages through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Al-Saraya Square in western Gaza City in the afternoon and transported them back to Israel.

People are gathering around the vehicle carrying Israeli hostages released according to the armistice negotiations. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

As the ceasefire was about to take effect, the announcement of Hamas's hostage release list was delayed, prompting Israel to resume airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in at least eight deaths in the Gaza Strip. Hamas agreed to release 33 Israeli hostages during the first phase of the ceasefire, while Israel agreed to release 737 Palestinian prisoners in exchange. The remaining 30 hostages will be released sequentially every Saturday. Before the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli military estimated that 94 hostages remained in Gaza, of whom 34 were confirmed dead. In the second phase, Hamas will return all remaining hostages in Gaza, after which Israel will completely withdraw from Gaza. The third phase will involve a permanent ceasefire and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Following the ceasefire agreement, 90 Palestinians imprisoned in the West Bank and Jerusalem were also released. This group includes 69 women and 21 teenage boys. AP reported that the list of released prisoners included Khalida Jarrar (63), a senior official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council; Dalal Kaseb (52), the sister of Saleh Aruri, who was the third-ranking deputy head of Hamas's political bureau and was killed in an Israeli airstrike last January; and Abla Abdelsaloul (68), the wife of Ahmad Saadat, PFLP secretary-general serving a sentence for the assassination of an Israeli minister in 2001.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the release, saying, "We all know they have endured hell. They are coming out of darkness into light, from captivity to freedom." President Isaac Herzog stated, "Today is a day of joy and comfort, and the beginning of a difficult journey of recovery and healing together." However, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's far-right Minister of National Security, and members of his party, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), resigned in protest against the ceasefire.

Voices welcoming the ceasefire agreement also came from around the world. U.S. President Joe Biden, the mediator, said that despite some criticism, he continued to support Israel and pursued diplomatic efforts that led to the ceasefire agreement, describing it as "a fundamental change in the region."

Meanwhile, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said at a victory celebration in Washington D.C. on the same day, "We have achieved more than they (the Biden administration) did in four years without being president," adding, "The ceasefire could only have been achieved as a result of our historic victory."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement, "The release of three hostages today is joyful news after months of suffering for them and their families," but added, "While we welcome this ceasefire agreement, we must not forget those still held hostage by Hamas."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged on X (formerly Twitter), "We must use the current momentum to work towards peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine."

European Union (EU) Council President Ant?nio Costa called on all parties to adhere to the ceasefire negotiations, emphasizing that "peace is the only way forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.