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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas released each 20 remaining surviving hostages held successful Gaza connected Monday, portion Israel began releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners arsenic portion of a ceasefire pausing 2 years of war that pummeled the territory, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and had near scores of captives successful militant hands.
Cheering crowds greeted buses of prisoners successful the West Bank, portion families and friends of the hostages gathered successful a quadrate successful Tel Aviv, Israel, cried retired with joyousness and relief as quality arrived that the captives were free.
The hostages, each men, person arrived backmost successful Israel, wherever they volition reunite with household and acquisition aesculapian checks. The bodies of the remaining 28 dormant hostages are besides expected to beryllium handed implicit arsenic portion of the deal, though the nonstop timing remained unclear.
Buses carrying dozens of freed Palestinian prisoners arrived successful Beitunia, adjacent the West Bank metropolis of Ramallah, and successful the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Prisoners Office said, arsenic Israel began releasing much than 1,900 prisoners and detainees arsenic portion of the ceasefire deal.
While large questions stay astir the aboriginal of Hamas and Gaza, the speech of hostages and prisoners raised hopes for ending the deadliest warfare ever betwixt Israel and the militant group. The ceasefire is besides expected to beryllium accompanied by a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that helium was “committed to this peace” successful a code to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
U.S. President Donald Trump is besides expected to code the Knesset, and aboriginal volition be a acme to sermon the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans with different leaders.
The warfare began when Hamas-led militants launched a astonishment onslaught connected confederate Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, successful which immoderate 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, much than 67,000 Palestinians person been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate betwixt civilians and combatants but says astir fractional the dormant were women and children. The ministry is portion of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and galore autarkic experts see its figures to beryllium the astir reliable estimation of wartime casualties.
The toll is expected to turn arsenic bodies are pulled from rubble antecedently made inaccessible by fighting.
The warfare has destroyed ample swaths of Gaza and displaced astir 90% of its immoderate 2 cardinal residents. It has besides triggered different conflicts successful the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
“Much of Gaza is simply a wasteland,” U.N. humanitarian main Tom Fletcher told the AP connected Sunday.
Hostages freed
In Tel Aviv, families and friends of the hostages who gathered successful a quadrate broke into chaotic cheers arsenic Israeli tv channels announced that the archetypal radical of hostages was successful the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis watched the transfers astatine nationalist screenings crossed the country.
Israel released the archetypal photos of the freed hostages, including 1 showing 28-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman embracing arsenic they were reunited. Hostages antecedently released had said the twins from Kfar Aza were held separately.
The photos of the archetypal 7 hostages showed them looking airy but little gaunt than immoderate of the hostages freed successful January.
Meanwhile, the Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots enactment representing galore of the hostage families, said 4 bodies were expected to instrumentality to Israel connected Monday. The radical said it was “shocked and dismayed” that truthful fewer were coming back.
An planetary task unit volition enactment to find deceased hostages who are not returned wrong 72 hours, said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing.
Earlier, portion Palestinians awaited the merchandise of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel, an armored conveyance flying an Israeli emblem fired teardrop state and rubber bullets astatine a assemblage successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank. As drones buzzed overhead, the radical scattered.
The teardrop state followed the circulation of a flier informing that anyone supporting what it called “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Israel’s subject did not respond to questions astir the flier, which The Associated Press obtained connected site.
The prisoners being released see 250 radical serving beingness sentences for convictions successful attacks connected Israelis, successful summation to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the warfare and held without charge. They volition beryllium returned to the West Bank oregon Gaza oregon sent into exile.
A achy chapter
The instrumentality of the surviving hostages caps a achy section for Israel. Since they were captured successful the onslaught that ignited the war, newscasts person marked their days successful captivity and Israelis person worn yellowish pins and ribbons successful solidarity. Tens of thousands person joined their families successful play demonstrations calling for their release.
As the warfare dragged on, demonstrators accused Netanyahu of dragging his feet for governmental purposes, adjacent arsenic helium accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, nether dense planetary unit and increasing isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.
Trump successful Israel and Egypt
Trump arrived Monday successful Israel, wherever helium was to talk astatine the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Vice President JD Vance said Trump was apt to conscionable with recently freed hostages.
“The warfare is over,” Trump told to reporters arsenic helium departed — adjacent though his ceasefire woody leaves galore unanswered questions astir the aboriginal of Hamas and Gaza.
Among the astir thorny is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to bash that and wants to guarantee Israel pulls its troops wholly retired of Gaza.
So far, the Israeli subject has withdrawn from overmuch of Gaza City, the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis and different areas. Troops stay successful astir of the confederate metropolis of Rafah, towns of Gaza’s acold north, and the wide portion on the magnitude of Gaza’s borderline with Israel.
The aboriginal governance of Gaza besides remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an planetary assemblage volition govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian technocrats moving day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza’s authorities should beryllium worked retired among Palestinians.
Later Monday, Trump volition caput to Egypt, wherever helium and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will pb a acme with leaders from much than 20 countries connected the aboriginal of Gaza and the broader Middle East.
Mahmoud Abbas, person of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, volition attend, according to a justice and advisor to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash.
Egypt’s presidency said Netanyahu would be arsenic well, but the Israel leader's bureau aboriginal said helium would not due to the fact that owed to a Jewish holiday.
The program envisions an eventual relation for the Palestinian Authority — thing Netanyahu has agelong opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to acquisition a sweeping betterment programme that could instrumentality years.
The program besides calls for an Arab-led planetary information unit successful Gaza, on with Palestinian constabulary trained by Egypt and Jordan. It said Israeli forces would permission areas arsenic those forces deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are present successful Israel to show the ceasefire.
The program besides mentions the anticipation of a aboriginal Palestinian state, different nonstarter for Netanyahu.
