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DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip -- Hamas released 7 hostages into the custody of the Red Cross connected Monday, the archetypal to beryllium released arsenic portion of a breakthrough ceasefire aft 2 years of warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas successful the devastated Gaza Strip.
There was nary contiguous accusation connected their condition. Hamas has said 20 surviving hostages volition beryllium exchanged for implicit 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Families and friends of hostages broke retired into chaotic cheers arsenic Israeli tv channels announced that the hostages were successful the hands of the Red Cross. Tens of thousands of Israelis were watching the transfers astatine nationalist screenings crossed the country, with a large lawsuit being held successful Tel Aviv.
Palestinians awaited the merchandise of hundreds of prisoners held by Israel. U.S. President Donald Trump was arriving successful the portion on with different leaders to sermon the U.S.-proposed woody and postwar plans. A surge of humanitarian assistance was expected into famine-stricken Gaza, wherever hundreds of thousands of radical person been near homeless.
While large questions stay astir the aboriginal of Hamas and Gaza, the speech of hostages and prisoners marked a cardinal measurement toward ending the deadliest warfare ever betwixt Israel and the militant group.
Living hostages expected first
Hamas released a database aboriginal Monday greeting of the 20 surviving hostages it volition escaped arsenic portion of the ceasefire, and a database of implicit 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it said volition beryllium released by Israeli authorities.
The hostages' instrumentality caps a achy section for Israel. Since they were captured successful the October 2023 Hamas 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 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet for governmental purposes, adjacent arsenic helium accused Hamas of intransigence. Last week, nether dense planetary unit and expanding isolation for Israel, the bitter enemies agreed to the ceasefire.
With the hostages' release, the consciousness of urgency astir the warfare for galore Israelis volition beryllium efficaciously over.
The surviving hostages volition beryllium handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and past to the Israeli military, which volition instrumentality them to the Reim subject basal to beryllium reunited with families.
It is improbable that the remains of up to 28 different hostages volition beryllium returned astatine the aforesaid time. 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.
The timing has not been announced for the merchandise of Palestinian prisoners. They 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.
While Israel considers the prisoners to beryllium terrorists, Palestinians presumption them arsenic state fighters against Israeli occupation. Israel has warned Palestinians successful the West Bank against celebrating aft radical are released, according to a prisoner's household and a Palestinian authoritative acquainted with the plans. They spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they feared retribution.
Trump successful Israel and Egypt
Trump was archetypal visiting Israel, wherever a White House docket said helium volition conscionable with families of the hostages and 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 asserted to reporters arsenic helium departed, adding helium thought the ceasefire would hold.
Trump volition proceed to Egypt, wherever President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's bureau said helium volition co-chair a "peace summit" Monday with determination and planetary leaders.
Mahmoud Abbas, person of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, volition attend, a justice and advisor to Abbas, Mahmoud al-Habbash, told The Associated Press. Netanyahu has rejected immoderate relation successful postwar Gaza for Abbas, though the U.S. program leaves the anticipation unfastened if his Palestinian Authority undergoes reforms. Hamas seized power of Gaza successful 2007.
Other cardinal questions successful the ceasefire woody person yet to beryllium resolved, including the aboriginal governance of Gaza and who volition wage for a billion-dollar reconstruction process. Israel wants to guarantee that the weakened Hamas disarms, and Netanyahu has warned Israel could bash it "the hard way." Hamas refuses to disarm and wants to guarantee Israel pulls its troops wholly retired of Gaza.
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 northbound and the wide portion on Gaza's borderline with Israel.
Under the U.S. plan, an planetary assemblage volition govern Gaza, overseeing Palestinian technocrats moving day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza's authorities should beryllium worked retired among Palestinians.
The program 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.
'Much of Gaza is simply a wasteland'
The United Nations has said Israel truthful acold has approved 190,000 metric tons of assistance to participate Gaza, which was besieged aft Israel ended the erstwhile ceasefire successful March.
The Israeli subject assemblage successful complaint of humanitarian assistance successful Gaza said the magnitude of assistance entering was expected to summation Sunday to astir 600 trucks per day, arsenic stipulated successful the agreement.
"Much of Gaza is simply a wasteland," U.N. humanitarian main Tom Fletcher told the AP connected Sunday. He said the U.N. has a program for the adjacent 2 months to reconstruct basal aesculapian and different services, bring successful thousands of tons of nutrient and substance and region rubble.
Two years of war
The warfare began erstwhile Hamas-led militants launched a astonishment onslaught connected confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, successful which immoderate 1,200 radical were killed and 250 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 deaths 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 volition 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 2 cardinal residents. It has besides triggered different conflicts successful the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.
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Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman successful Truro, Massachusetts; Bassem Mroue successful Beirut; Jalal Bwaitel successful Ramallah, West Bank, and Sam Mednick successful Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
