On Sunday, three Israeli hostages left Hamas captivity after 15 months and returned to Israel. Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinian prisoners walked free from an Israeli jail. Both sides were torn between joy and fear as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire went into effect.
Palestinians began returning to what was left of their homes. They checked on relatives left behind. In many cases, they also began to bury their dead.
In Israel, the joy of seeing freed hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher was tempered with concern for others still held captive. Nearly 100 others abducted in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack are still in Gaza. Not all are believed to be alive.
Damari, Gonen, and Steinbrecher were the first of 33 Israeli hostages to be released in the coming six weeks. The Israel-Hamas deal also includes a pause in fighting, the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and increased fuel and aid deliveries for Gaza.
What happens after the deal’s first phase of 42 days is uncertain. The agreement’s following stages call for more hostage and prisoner releases—and a permanent end to the war.
On Sunday, many Israelis stayed glued to TV screens all afternoon to glimpse the women being released.
“An entire nation embraces you,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
In videos released by the Israeli government, the women were seen weeping and hugging family members.
Damari raised her bandaged hand in triumph. The military says she lost two fingers in the Hamas-led attack in 2023. Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The group also abducted some 250 other people.
Seven hours later, other reunions took place in the occupied West Bank. Scuffles with Israeli security forces and hours of waiting did little to deter the crowds that flooded the streets around 1:00 a.m. That’s when buses carrying 90 Palestinian detainees—all women or teens—exited a prison near Ramallah.
Drivers revved their engines. Fireworks erupted. Several men hoisted Hamas flags.
The most prominent detainee freed was Khalida Jarrar. She was a leading member of a group involved in attacks against Israel in the 1970s. Israeli police arrested her in 2023.
“There’s this double feeling we’re living in,” Jarrar says. She refers to feeling both thankfulness for freedom but pain over the loss of Palestinian life.
Released Palestinian prisoners had allegedly committed crimes ranging from throwing stones and promoting violence on social media to more serious charges such as attempted murder.
In Gaza, there was deep relief at the prospect of six weeks without fighting. The next release of hostages and prisoners is due Saturday. In just over two weeks, talks are to begin on the more challenging second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
For now, there should be a surge of aid. Hundreds of trucks will be able to enter Gaza daily. That’s far more than Israel allowed before.
“This is a moment of tremendous hope,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher says. “Fragile, yet vital.”
As for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. — Micah 7:7
