Hamas releases first three Israeli captives as Gaza ceasefire takes hold

As part of the Gaza Strip’s ceasefire agreement, Hamas handed over the first three female captives, according to Israeli authorities.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Sunday evening that 24-year-old Romi Gonen, 28-year-old Emily Damari, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher were handed over to the Red Cross and are “in safe hands” in Israel.

After Hamas brought the captives to as-Saraya Square, the Red Cross vehicles left Gaza City and entered the heavily besieged northern part of the city as a crowd gathered.

90 Palestinian prisoners were being detained by a Red Cross team before being released from Ofer Prison in Israel as part of the cease-fire agreement.

The ceasefire agreement will be implemented in three phases, including bringing in more humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza to help the area’s disaster. As Israeli forces leave some of Gaza, the first stage will last 42 days.

Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military, stated in a televised speech that the Palestinian organization is committed to the agreement, but that its continued application will depend on Israel’s reciprocity.

He claimed that a deal could have been reached more than a year ago but was thwarted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “malicious ambitions.”

The Israeli leader has vowed to fight despite the resignation of some far-right lawmakers from his government, which is led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. After the release of the first captives, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel will pursue all of its war goals, including “defeating” Hamas and releasing all of the captives.

Former US President Joe Biden said “guns in Gaza have gone silent” and welcomed the ceasefire with international attention.

After more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks that have claimed the lives of more than 46, 000 Palestinians and thousands of others, thousands of Palestinians have flocked to the long-awaited ceasefire, which may help the situation in Gaza.

Reporting from as-Saraya Square, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Khalili described scenes of joy among the crowd.

“They are beyond happy”, he said. After 15 months of fighting that destroyed everything, celebrations are taking place all over. This is a historic moment”.

The captives are scheduled to be immediately taken to an Israeli military facility for identification and then airlifted to a hospital in the country’s center. After being reunited with their families, they will be there for at least four days for psychological and medical evaluations.

This week, Israeli forces and the prison services reported how they had been getting ready to release the prisoners.

During the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, about 250 people were taken. Approximately 100 of Gaza’s captives are still there even though it is unknown how many of them are still alive after their bodies were recovered in late 2023.

The three Israeli prisoners who will be freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners have been identified by Al Jazeera.

The list, which includes mostly women and a few children, includes all of the people who are currently occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the occupied West Bank, Khalida Jarrar, is named among the list’s names. Others on the list include at least 12 young Palestinian men, some of them under 19 years of age, and minors.

Numerous children and minors have been detained for allegedly throwing rocks at Israeli forces, according to Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim.

“We are talking about light sentences”, she said. The list of prisoners, the hundreds of names that have been released, largely serve administrative detention, which is a tactic employed by Israeli policy to keep prisoners imprisoned indefinitely without being charged. These administrative detentions keep getting renewed.

Source: Aljazeera