Gazans head destroyed homes

Hamas frees three Israeli hostages as truce begins

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DEIR EL-BALAH, GAZA:

Thousands of displaced, war-weary Gazans set off across the devastated Palestinian territory to return to their home areas on Sunday, after a long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas took effect following an initial delay.

As part of ceasefire deal Hamas released three women Israeli hostages, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, from captivity to reunite with their families. A senior Hamas official later said that the next group of the hostages would be released on Saturday.

The ceasefire began nearly three hours later than scheduled during which Israeli bombardments killed 19 people and wounded 25 others. But minutes after the truce began, the UN said, the first trucks, carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza, where many residents were returning to nothing.

Thousands of Gazans carrying tents, clothes and their personal belongings were seen heading back to their homes, after more than 15 months of war that displaced the vast majority of the population, in many cases more than once.

In the northern area of Jabalia, hundreds streamed down a sandy path, returning to an apocalyptic landscape piled with rubble and destroyed buildings. "Unprecedented destruction," said Walid Abu Jiab, who returned to Jabalia. "There is nothing left in the north worth living for."

Aid workers say northern Gaza is particularly hard-hit, lacking all essentials including food, shelter and water. In the southern city of Khan Yunis, people who had not yet returned celebrated their pending homecoming. "I am longing for Gaza (City) and longing for our loved ones," said Wafa al-Habeel.

As hundreds of trucks waited at the Gaza border, Jonathan Whittall, interim chief of the UN's OCHA humanitarian agency for the Palestinian territories, said on X that the first trucks started entering following the truce, after "a massive effort" to prepare for a surge of aid across the territory.

The truce had been scheduled to begin at 8:30 am but a last-minute dispute over the list of hostages to be freed on the first day led to the hold-up. Qatar, a mediator of the truce, later confirmed that the ceasefire agreement had gone into effect.

An initial 42-day truce brokered by Qatari, US and Egyptian mediators is meant to enable a surge of sorely needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians in Israeli custody.

The Israeli military said the first three hostages, all women, "crossed the border into Israeli territory" in the afternoon and they were "on their way home". On the other hand, dozens of Palestinian prisoners were due to be released by Israel in exchange later on Sunday.

A total of 33 Israeli hostages, 31 of whom taken by Hamas fighters in the October 7, 2023 attack, are due to return from Gaza during the initial truce. The Israeli military said that of the 251 people taken hostage, 91 were still in Gaza, while 34 were dead.

An Egyptian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "260 trucks of aid and 16 of fuel" entered Gaza on Sunday. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty earlier said 600 trucks a day would cross into the war-battered enclave.

The world leaders welcomed the beginning of the truce and stressed the need for both sides to respect the ceasefire terms. "It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on X.

On the eve of the ceasefire, Netanyahu called the first phase a "temporary ceasefire" and said Israel had US support to return to the war if necessary. Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said its adherence to the truce would be "contingent on the enemy's commitment".

US President Joe Biden, whose administration has been involved in months of mediation efforts, welcomed the ceasefire taking hold on Sunday, saying that "after so much pain, death and loss of life, today the guns in Gaza have gone silent".

The truce took effect on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as president of the United States. Trump, who claimed credit for the ceasefire deal, told US network NBC on Saturday that he had told Netanyahu the war "has to end".

Hamas's October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel's history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people. Israel's retaliatory campaign destroyed much of Gaza, killing at least 46,913 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.