The sides have agreed to a prisoner exchange amid a humanitarian truce in the deadly 15-month conflict
© Amir Levy / Getty Images
The long-awaited Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into force at 09:15 GMT on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has announced on X. The truce, which was initially set to start three hours earlier, had been delayed due to Hamas’ failure to provide West Jerusalem with a list of hostages to be released later the same day as part of the first round of prisoner swaps.
Hamas attributed the delay in providing the list of names to “technical and field reasons.” Netanyahu’s office has confirmed it had received the list minutes before announcing the ceasefire.
The Israeli military continued operations in Gaza while awaiting the list. Gaza’s civil defense agency earlier reported that Israeli strikes killed at least nineteen people and injured more than 25 on Sunday morning.
Despite the delay in the ceasefire, thousands of Gazans took to the streets to celebrate and began returning to their homes.
Israel and Hamas reached a deal earlier this week to halt the 15-month conflict, which has resulted in numerous casualties and extensive destruction in Gaza. The agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, will be implemented in three phases, with the initial stage lasting six weeks.
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19 January 2025
16:00 GMT
The IDF and Israeli Security Agency (ISA) have confirmed the three hostages have returned to Israeli territory.
“A short while ago, accompanied by IDF and ISA forces, the released hostages crossed the border into Israeli territory,” the Times of Israel quoted the statement as saying.
“They are in our hands. They are coming home,” an IDF spokesman said.
- 15:55 GMT
Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher are now with IDF troops in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel.
They will be transported out of Gaza to a facility near the border for an initial medical checkup and psychological assistance before reuniting with their families.“They are accompanied by IDF and ISA special forces upon their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment,” the IDF said on X.
- 15:38 GMT
Videos posted online reportedly show the moment the three Israeli hostages – Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher – arrived at the square in central Gaza City were handed over to the Red Cross. The hostages are seen walking unaided.
“The three women hostages were officially handed over to the Red Cross at al-Saraya Square in the al-Rimal neighborhood in western Gaza City,” a senior Hamas official told AFP.#Hamas hands 3 #hostages to Red Cross in #Gazaالقسام تفرج عن #اسيرات اسرائيليات #رهائنpic.twitter.com/EvMBZs9nwK
— Rita khoury (@ritakhoury10) January 19, 2025
- 15:38 GMT
The three hostages released by Hamas as part of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement have been handed over to the Red Cross, the IDF has confirmed.
The hostages are believed to be Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher.
“The Red Cross has communicated that the three Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way toward IDF and Israel Securities Authority forces in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military said in a statement.Posters of hostages Emily Tehila Damari, Romi Gonen and Daniella Gilboa are hung at Hostage Square after a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was reached on January 16, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. © Noam Galai / Getty Images
- 15:26 GMT
The Israeli hostages have been transferred to the Red Cross and are now on their way to be handed over to the IDF, according to an official statement.
- 15:21 GMT
The handover of the Israeli hostages is underway, Reuters has reported. The transfer of three female Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has begun, a Hamas official has told the outlet.
- 15:21 GMT
Coaches have arrived outside Israel’s Ofer Prison in the West Bank where 90 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released by Israel, according to media reports. Crowds have gathered on the hillsides, lighting fires to keep warm as they wait, according to SkyNews.
Two coaches carrying the prisoners are expected to leave the area and travel to Ramallah, where the prisoners will be reunited with their families.
According to the Hamas Prisoners Media Office, the group includes 69 women and 21 teenage boys; of these, 76 are set to be released from the West Bank and 14 from Jerusalem. - 14:56 GMT
US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, has stated that if Hamas violates the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages agreement, the US will fully support Israel “in doing what it has to do.”
“Hamas will never govern Gaza. That is completely unacceptable,” he said in an interview with CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’. - 14:51 GMT
Footage posted online shows images of Israeli military helicopters positioned and ready to receive the hostages being released from Gaza.
Exclusive images of IAF helicopters prepared for the process of receiving the hostages from Gaza 🎗️🇮🇱📸@IDFpic.twitter.com/mWUUKfdtdO
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) January 19, 2025
- 14:50 GMT
The IDF has announced that Israeli Air Force helicopters are prepared to transport the three Israeli hostages set to be released from Gaza, the Times of Israel reported. After an initial medical checkup at a military facility near the border, the helicopters will take them to hospitals for further care. Family members have sent personal items for them, which have been loaded on board the helicopters.
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