Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners after Hamas releases three captives

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Re-establishing the health system in Gaza will be "complex and challenging" after more than 15 months of war, the head of the World Health Organization said Sunday as a ceasefire took effect.

"Addressing the massive health needs and restoring the health system in Gaza will be a complex and challenging task, given the scale of destruction, operational complexity and constraints involved," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on social media platform X.

Two buses with tinted windows were seen leaving the Israeli Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank in the early hours of Monday, AFP journalists saw, hours after Hamas released three hostages in the Gaza Strip.

After the first day of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the release of around 90 Palestinian prisoners was expected to take place as part of the deal, with hundreds of people gathering at the prison where Red Cross staff prepared for the exchange in anticipation.

The Israel Prison Service said it had completed the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners early Monday, part of a Gaza ceasefire deal that took effect a day earlier.

"All the terrorists were released from Ofer prison and the Jerusalem detention centre", the service said, referring to the Palestinian prisoners, in a statement issued just before 1:30 am (2330 GMT Sunday).

Families of Palestinian detainees expected to be released later gathered outside the Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.

هتافات لغزة والمقاومة خلال انتظار المواطنين الإفراج عن الأسرى في مدينة بيتونيا قرب سجن عوفر العسكري.

يجب أن يعم هذا المشهد في كل مكان بالضفة رغمًا عن الاحتلال وأذنابه. pic.twitter.com/HOPdPUffr5

— yaseenizeddeen (@yaseenizeddeen) January 19, 2025

The names of 90 male and female Palestinian prisoners who will be released Sunday night as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have been announced.

Among those expected to be released is member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Khalida Jarrar.

"إذاعة الجيش الإسرائيلي: سيتم الإفراج عن الأسيرة خالدة جرار، القيادية في الجبهة الشعبية، ضمن المرحلة الأولى من صفقة التبادل."
المناضلة والثائرة خالدة جرار عانت من عزل انفرادي قاسي دام لأشهر في زنزانة ضيقة بلا تهوية ولا ماء ولا ضوء، مما اضطرها للاستلقاء بجانب الباب لتتنفس. pic.twitter.com/IUEQ54bAsx

— فرح العكل (@FarahAlakal) January 17, 2025

The three Israeli captives released from Gaza on Sunday arrived at Sheba hospital in central Israel, an AFP journalist reported.

Travelling in military helicopters and accompanied by their mothers, the three women, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher, landed at the hospital, where the army said the rest of their family members awaited them.

The armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas said on Sunday it would observe a ceasefire in Gaza as long as Israel does the same, hours after the truce took effect.

"We and the resistance factions declare our full commitment to the ceasefire agreement, while stressing that all of this is contingent on the enemy's commitment," said Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam armed wing, in a video message.

Obeida also warned that Israel's "continued occupation of our land will affect the entire region and the world".

He added that the international community's involvement in what he called the occupation of Gaza "will be a disaster for the occupation and all its supporters".

The World Health Organization on Sunday said it was ready to pour much-needed aid into Gaza after the Israel-Hamas truce takes effect but that it would need "systematic access" across the territory to do so.

While the United Nations' health body was "ready to scale up the response" to address the territory's critical needs, the WHO said "it is critical that the security obstacles hindering operations are removed".

"WHO will need conditions on the ground that allow systematic access to the population across Gaza, enabling the influx of aid via all possible borders and routes, and lifting restrictions on the entry of essential items," the agency said in a statement.

Warning that the "health challenges ahead are immense", the Geneva-based agency estimated the cost of rebuilding Gaza's battered health system in the years to come at "billions in investment".

The Lebanese army entered the city of Bint Jbeil on Sunday, continuing its deployment across southern Lebanon as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel.

Soldiers cut off roads leading to other border villages where the Israeli army is still present. Israel must pull its forces out of southern Lebanon by 26 January in line with the ceasefire agreement.

لحظة دخول #الجيش_اللبناني مدينة #بنت_جبيل والتمركز عند الطرقات لمنع المواطنين من التوجه إلى البلدات التي لا يزال الإسرائيلي يحــ.ـتلها pic.twitter.com/tIhEXBTSJf

— Al Modon - المدن (@almodononline) January 19, 2025

Mandy Damari, mother of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari freed on Sunday said her daughter's "nightmare in Gaza is over" and her daughter is "home" in a statement shared with AFP.

"I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name... Thank you for bringing Emily home," her mother said, calling for "every last hostage" to be released.

The next group of Gaza captives to be released under a ceasefire agreement with Israel will be freed on Saturday, a senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday after the initial release of three women.

"The release of the second batch of Israeli prisoners (hostages) will take place on the evening of next Saturday, the seventh day from the start of the ceasefire agreement," the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter.

World leaders have been reacting to the beginning of a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday welcomed the release of three Israeli hostages, including British-Israeli Emily Damari, as "wonderful and long-overdue news after months of agony for them and their families".

"While this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas", Starmer said in a statement calling for the remaining phases of the truce to be implemented "in full and on schedule".

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he welcomes the implementation of the ceasefire and exchange, saying "We stand ready to support this implementation & scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer."

"It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security & political obstacles to delivering aid," he added.

President of the European Council Antonio Costa said that he is "Relieved to finally see the first hostages being liberated and humanitarian aid entering as the ceasefire takes effect in Gaza."

"The deal brings a much needed glimmer of hope to the region. All parties must adhere to it. Peace is the only way forward," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the three Israeli captives freed from Gaza on Sunday as part of a ceasefire deal 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," Netanyahu said during a phone call with an Israeli official who was briefing him on the release of the three female captives.

Hamas' armed wing said the group would abide by a ceasefire agreement that came into force in Gaza on Sunday but that any possible Israeli violations would endanger the process and put the lives of captives at risk.

In a video speech, al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubaida urged mediators to compel Israel to commit to the ceasefire deal, adding that the group would abide by all phases of the agreement and the timetable of the hostages-for-prisoners swap accord.

"Everything is dependent on the commitment by the enemy.. Violations from the side of the occupation (Israel) would put the process at risk," said Abu Ubaida.

"We are keen to succeed in all stages of the agreement, its details and timings to preserve the blood of our people and achieve their goals, and we urge the mediators to compel the enemy to abide by it," he added.

(Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron has told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that a return to Palestinian governance was needed in Gaza after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Macron's office said on Sunday.

In a phone conversation Saturday, Macron said this should "fully incorporate the Palestinian Authority" and that Gaza's future should be aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state, while ensuring that "no massacre, like the one perpetrated on October 7 (2023), can ever be committed against the Israeli people again", the Elysee said.

It is "now essential to immediately work to respond to the Gazans' vital urgent needs, to ensure the delivery of massive humanitarian aid, at the level of the residents' needs", the Elysee added.

President Joe Biden on Sunday welcomed the ceasefire taking hold between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, saying the "region has been fundamentally transformed."

"After so much pain, death and loss of life, today the guns in Gaza have gone silent," the outgoing president said during a visit to South Carolina, just hours after the ceasefire took effect.

The Israeli military said that the three captives released by Hamas on Sunday were with its forces in the Gaza Strip.

"The three released hostages are being accompanied by IDF special forces and ISA forces on their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment," the military said in a statement.

The Israeli military said the Red Cross had confirmed the handover of three captives on Sunday, the first to be released as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

"The Red Cross has communicated that the three Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way toward IDF (military) and ISA (security agency) forces in the Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

A Hamas official moments earlier told AFP that the hostages had been handed over to the Red Cross at Al-Saraya Square in western Gaza City.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group had identified the three women set to be released as Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, seized during the 7 October attacks.

A senior Hamas official told AFP that the Palestinian group had handed over three Israeli women captives to the Red Cross on Sunday, as agreed with Israel in a ceasefire deal.

"The three women hostages were officially handed over to the Red Cross at Al-Saraya Square in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood in western Gaza City," the official said.

"This occurred after a member of the Red Cross team met with them and ensured their well-being."

Al-Qassam brigades said in a press statement that it handed over the hostages to the Red Criss and now its militants are security them to send them to Rafah border.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) received on Sunday three Israeli hostages from Hamas, in the first batch of a prisoner exchange deal as part of the ceasefire agreement.

The Red Cross has entered Ofer Prison in southern Israel to secure Palestinian prisoners set to be released along with Israeli captives in Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal, according to Haaretz.

Haaretz added that some right-wing activists were clashing with Israeli police in an attempt to stop the busses from entering the prison.

President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Sunday that if Hamas reneges on the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal, the United States will support Israel "in doing what it has to do."

He added in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," "Hamas will never govern Gaza. That is completely unacceptable."

Waltz said Trump and his team have made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding "I want the Israeli people to hear me loud and clear."

"If Hamas reneges on this deal and Hamas backs out, moves the goalpost, what have you, we will support Israel in doing what it has to do," he said.

Waltz was also optimistic about the Trump administration being able to broker a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia as part of the Abraham Accords.

The prisoners office of Hamas attributed a delay in announcing a list of the Palestinian prisoners to be freed on Sunday under the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel to "errors" in some names, adding that this would be addressed.

(Reuters)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday it was important that the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas had finally been implemented and that remaining captives are released.

Speaking on the sidelines of a townhall meeting in the city of Schwalbach, Scholz said the release of captives held by Hamas "should be used for a peaceful development, a perspective in which a Palestinian state can coexist peacefully with Israel."

(Reuters)

A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza is on its way to collect Israeli captives from Hamas, an official involved in the operation told Reuters on Sunday.

(Reuters)

Israel's Prison Service has begun transferring Palestinians set to be released on Sunday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal to Ofer prison north of Jerusalem. 

90 are expected to be released, 78 to the occupied West Bank and 12 to occupied East Jerusalem.

According to Haaretz, they will be released to the Red Cross following confirmation of the release of the three Israeli captives held in Gaza set to be released late on Sunday.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will visit Israel and Palestinian territories now that a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza has come into effect, his office said Sunday.

Tajani will travel Monday to "Israel and Palestine" to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, it said in a statement.

Israel and mediating nation Qatar confirmed on Sunday a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza had come into effect.

"The entry into force of the agreement offers a historic opportunity for the Israeli people, for the Palestinian people and for the entire region," Tajani said.

"I will confirm to the Israeli and Palestinian authorities the Italian government's commitment to alleviate the painful conditions of the civilian population that has suffered so much", he said.

"Our humanitarian interventions will continue and be further strengthened", he added.

Tajani will stress Italy's "attention" to "post-war reconstruction in Gaza".

He will also co-chair with Israel's Sa'ar a meeting with the business community "to illustrate investment opportunities between the two countries, within the framework of growth diplomacy initiatives".

"Investments built with a presence not only in Israel but throughout the region will help stabilize the area", Tajani said.

Israel said on Sunday that it had recovered the body of a soldier killed in combat in 2014 and held in Gaza by Hamas ever since.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the body of Oron Shaul, who was killed on 20 July 2014, was recovered in an operation by the army and the Shin Bet security agency.

"In a special... operation, before the ceasefire takes effect, we returned to Israel the remains of Golani Brigade fighter Oron Shaul", he said.

The recovery of Shaul's body was announced earlier by the Israeli military. Shaul was killed during the six-week-long 2014 Gaza war.

The staff sergeant's family was informed of the return of his remains once he was officially identified, the military said.

In a televised briefing, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: "This was a significant intelligence and operational undertaking that lasted over the past decade since his fall and abduction, and especially during the (current) war and over the past few days."

Shaul was one of two soldiers killed during the 2014 conflict whose bodies were still being held in Gaza. The body of Hadar Goldin remains in the Palestinian territory.

Pope Francis called Sunday for a ceasefire in Gaza to be "immediately respected", as he thanked mediators and urged a boost in humanitarian aid as well as the return of captives.

"I express gratitude to all the mediators," the Argentine pontiff said shortly after the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas began.

"Thanks to all the parties involved in this important outcome. I hope that, as agreed, it will be immediately respected by the parties and that all the hostages will finally be able to go home to hug their loved ones again", he said.

"I pray so much for them, and their families. I also hope that humanitarian aid will even more quickly reach... the people of Gaza, who have so many urgent needs", Francis said.

"Both Israelis and Palestinians need clear signs of hope. I hope that the political authorities of both, with the help of the international community, can reach the right two-state solution.

"May everyone say yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace", he added.

The UK "welcomes" the expected release of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari after she was named as one of the three women to be released Sunday under a ceasefire deal, the UK foreign office said.

"The UK government welcomes the reports that British national Emily Damari is on the list of hostages to be released by Hamas today. We stand ready to support her upon her release," the foreign office said in a statement.

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid have begun entering Gaza through two border crossing. This includes Kerem Shalom border crossing located in the south of Gaza and the Zikim crossing located in the north of Gaza.

Hamas said on Sunday it was awaiting a list of 90 prisoners to be released by Israel as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire.

"The occupation is expected to hand over shortly a list containing the names of 90 prisoners from the categories of women and children who are set to be released on the first day of the ceasefire," Hamas said in statement, adding the truce deal stipulated "the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one civilian detainee".

An Israeli campaign group confirmed on Sunday the names of the three women hostages to be freed by Hamas as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

They are Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher. Damari and Steinbrecher were seized by militants during the 7 October 2023 attack from kibbutz Kfar Aza, while Gonen was abducted from the Nova festival, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum told AFP.

About 200 aid delivery trucks, including 20 carrying fuel, began arriving on Sunday at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossing ahead of entry into the Gaza Strip, two Egyptian sources told Reuters.

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza took effect on Sunday morning after a nearly three-hour delay, pausing a 15-month-old war that has shaken up the Middle East.

The aid trucks were using the Kerem Shalom entry point pending completion of maintenance at the Rafah border crossing into southern Gaza from Egypt, the sources said. 

(Reuters)

Gaza's Ministry of Health announced that Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, prior to the start of a long awaited ceasefire, killed 14 people and wounded 25 others.

The ministry said that since the beginning of the war, 46,913 have been killed and a further 110,750 have been injured.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister has threatened that he will "overthrow" the government if Israel does not return to fighting in Gaza or occupy the enclave at the end of the ceasefire.

Smotrich, who was speaking to Israel's Army Radio, was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying the country "must occupy Gaza and create a temporary military government because there is no other way to defeat Hamas."

"I will over throw the government if it does not return to fighting in a way that [leads to us] taking over the entire Gaza Strip and governing it," he added.

He further labelled Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi as "weak in strategy".

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar warned on Sunday that the Middle East would remain unstable if the Palestinian militant group Hamas remained in power in the Gaza Strip.

"If Hamas will stay in power, the regional instability it causes might continue," Saar said at a press conference.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza carrying tents, clothes and personal belongings began heading to their homes Sunday after a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect following more than 15 months of war.

AFP journalists saw Palestinians travelling by truck, donkey cart and on foot back to their homes through devastated swathes of Gaza, particularly in the northern parts of the Palestinian territory.

The UN's agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has said that 4,000 truckloads of humanitarian aid are ready to enter Gaza, with half of them carrying food and flour.

UNRWA has 4,000 truckloads of aid ready to enter #Gaza — half of them carry food and flour.

Attacks on aid convoys in the Gaza Strip could decline as humanitarian relief comes in following a #ceasefire, says @‌UNLazzarini.https://t.co/yRt1NxWuXS

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 19, 2025

Mediator Qatar on Sunday confirmed the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas and said some of the initial three hostages to be freed hold foreign citizenship.

"We confirm that the names of the three hostages who will be released today have been handed over to the Israeli side. They are three Israeli citizens, one of whom holds Romanian citizenship and the other British citizenship. Thus, the ceasefire has begun," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement.

The Israeli prime minister's office said Sunday that the release of three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would take place after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Sunday.

The three are said to be Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, according a statement from Hamas.

The prime minister's office also said four other living female hostages would be freed in seven days.

Gaza's ceasefire has gone into effect now at 11:15 local time (09:15 GMT) following an announcement by the Israeli government.

Hamas said it has handed over to mediators on Sunday the names of the three Israeli female captives to be released by the group in Gaza, according to a statement. 

(Reuters)

Hardline Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and two other ministers from his nationalist-religious party have resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet over the Gaza ceasefire deal, their party said on Sunday.

The Otzma Yehudit party is no longer part of the ruling coalition but has said it will not try to bring down Netanyahu's government.

(Reuters)

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least eight people and wounded more than 25 on Sunday, after Israel said a long-awaited ceasefire in the war had been delayed.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said three people were killed in northern Gaza and five in Gaza City, with 25 wounded.