The Japan Times - First Israeli hostages freed as Gaza truce begins

As the ceasefire took effect in the morning, thousands of displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return home.

In the northern area of Jabalia, hundreds streamed down a sandy path, heading back to an apocalyptic landscape piled with rubble and destroyed buildings.

"We are finally in our home. There is no home left, just rubble, but it's our home," said Rana Mohsen, 43, back in Jabalia.

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, as a total of 33 Israeli hostages are to be released 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.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group earlier identified the three women as Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher.

Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the hostages were "in our hands and on their way home".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had endured a horrific ordeal.

"I know, we all know, they have been through hell. They are emerging from darkness into light, from bondage to freedom," he said.

Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are due to be released by Israel in exchange later on Sunday.

Minutes after the truce began, the United Nations said the first trucks carrying sorely needed humanitarian aid had entered the Palestinian territory.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the truce, saying on X "it is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid".

The truce is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war, but a second phase has yet to be finalised.

It came into effect nearly three hours later than scheduled. During the delay, Israel's military said it was continuing to operate, with the territory's civil defence agency reporting 19 people killed and 25 wounded in bombardments.

- 'Nothing left' -

Thousands of Palestinians carrying tents, clothes and their personal belongings were seen going home on Sunday, after the war that displaced the vast majority of Gaza's population, in many cases more than once.

Returning Jabalia resident Walid Abu Jiab said he had found "massive, unprecedented destruction", with "nothing left" in Gaza's war-battered north, which has seen intense violence over the past months.

In the southern city of Rafah, Ahmad al-Balawi said that "as soon as I returned... I felt a shock."

"Entire areas have been completely wiped out", he told AFP, describing "decomposing bodies, rubble, and destruction everywhere".

Aid workers say northern Gaza was particularly hard-hit, lacking all essentials including food, shelter and water.

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.

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

In Gaza City, well before the ceasefire went into effect, people were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.

In Israel, the ceasefire was met with guarded optimism.

Israel has prepared reception centres to provide medical treatment and counselling to the freed hostages before they return to their families. Health workers have warned of the psychological challenges the captives will face upon release.

A total of 33 Israeli hostages, 31 of whom taken by militants during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, are due be returned from Gaza during the initial truce.

- 'Commitment' to truce -

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 war's only previous truce, for one week in November 2023, also saw the release of hostages held by militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas's October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel's history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Of the 251 people taken hostage, 91 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

The truce took effect on the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as president of the United States.

"We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done," he said.

Under the deal, Israeli forces will withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow displaced Palestinians to return "to their residences", Qatar's prime minister said in announcing the deal.

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T.Ueda--JT