A British-Israeli woman, Emily Damari, 28, was among the first three hostages freed from Gaza as a ceasefire began on Sunday. She was handed over to a Red Cross convoy along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher at around 3.20pm UK time. The Israeli military confirmed their transfer to IDF and security forces in the Gaza Strip.
Ms Damari has been reunited with her family, with a heartwarming image showing her smiling with her mother during a video call with her brother. The release is part of a ceasefire deal that also involves Israel releasing 90 Palestinian prisoners, including 69 women and 21 teenage boys, from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The ceasefire, the second in the 15-month war, began after a delay of nearly three hours. It is set to be implemented in three phases, with the first phase lasting 42 days. The UN food agency reported that aid trucks entered Gaza via the Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings, with others seen entering through Rafah.
Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida said the agreement could have been reached a year earlier if it had aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ambitions, and stressed Hamas's commitment to the ceasefire depends on Israel's adherence. Meanwhile, far-right Jewish Power party ministers resigned from the Israeli government in protest, leaving Netanyahu with a razor-thin parliamentary majority.
As displaced Palestinians returned home, they faced scenes of devastation from 15 months of Israeli bombardment. Shopkeeper Ahmad Al-Hamadiyat described praying for safety during the war, while Mahmoud Anwar Abu-Salem said his family's house was reduced to rubble, leaving 50 people homeless. In a separate development, Israel recovered the body of soldier Oron Shaul, killed in the 2014 war, in a special operation in Gaza.
