The first three hostages released from Gaza have arrived in Israel, the military announced Sunday, hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold. Their mothers were waiting to meet them.
Israel Palestinians A female Palestinian prisoner, facing the camera, is greeted after disembarking from a bus following her release from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
ADDITION Mideast Wars In this photo released by the Israeli Army, Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy embrace near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP)
Israeli Army via AP
Mideast Wars In this photo released by the Israeli Army, Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy use a smart phone near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP)
Israeli Army via AP
Mideast Wars Romi Gonen, right, and her mother Merav hold each other near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after Romi was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP)
Israeli Army via AP
Mideast Wars Doron Steinbrecher, left, and her mother Simona hold each other near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after after Doron was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Israeli Army via AP)
Israeli Army via AP
Israel Palestinians Palestinians react as they wait for the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Palestinians hold posters with the photo of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as they wait for the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Israeli Emily Damari, who was kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas on Oct. 7, steps out of a van before boarding a helicopter after being released from Gaza, southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
Israel Palestinians A Red Cross convoy arrives to collect Israeli hostages released after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect, in Gaza City Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar)
AP Photo/Abed Hajjar
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians A Palestinian prisoner is greeted as he disembarks from a bus after being released from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians A bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners arrives to the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians A female Palestinian prisoner, center left, is greeted after disembarking from a bus following her release from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Female Palestinian prisoners disembark from a bus after being released from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians A female Palestinian prisoner on a wheelchair is greeted after disembarking from a bus following her release from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
Israel Palestinians A bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners arrives to the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians A Palestinian shouts next to a Hezbollah flag as a crowd waits for the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank city of Beitunia, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Palestinians react as they wait for the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Israelis celebrate the release of three hostages who had been held captive by Hamas in Gaza as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Photo/Ariel Schalit
Israel Palestinians Palestinians react as they wait for the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians A convoy of vans and military vehicles carrying the released hostages from Gaza, arrives at a military base in southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
Israel Palestinians A Palestinian child holds a posters with the photo of late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as they wait for the arrival of the released Palestinian prisoners, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians A crowd gathers around a bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners as it arrives in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians A Palestinian prisoner is greeted before she disembarks from a bus after being released from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Palestinian female prisoners wave from inside a bus as they arrive in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Palestinians walk through the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar)
AP Photo/Abed Hajjar
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians A drone photo shows Palestinians walking through the destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Khalida Jarrar, 62, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is greeted after disembarking from a bus following her release from an Israeli prison, in the West Bank city of Beitunia, early Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
Israel Palestinians A market is seen through a window in Khan Younis, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Jan. 18, 2025.(AP Photo/(AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/(AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Palestinians walk through the destruction by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Members of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, take part in a parade as they celebrate a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana
Israel Palestinians Israeli soldiers walk outside Ofer military prison near Jerusalem on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean
Israel Palestinians An Israeli army tank moves along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov
Israel Palestinians Palestinians walk through the destruction by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)
AP Photo/Mariam Dagga
Israel Palestinians The house hostage Doron Steinbrecher, 30, kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 in seen in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
Israel Palestinians Two women walk through an installation simulating a tunnel in Gaza in an act of solidarity with hostages believed to be held underground by Hamas before a weekly demonstration calling for their return, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday Jan. 18, 2025.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
Israel Palestinians Israeli soldiers stand outside Ofer military prison near Jerusalem on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
AP Photo/Oded Balilty
Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
AP Photo/Oded Balilty
Egypt Israel Palestinians Ambulances pass in front of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip , Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
AP Photo/Amr Nabil
Israel Palestinians Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hajjar)
AP Photo/Mohammad Hajjar
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
AP Photo/Oded Balilty
Israel Palestinians Palestinians walk through the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hajjar)
AP Photo/Mohammad Hajjar
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Palestinians celebrate a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in the West Bank city of Beitunia, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
APTOPIX Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
Israel Palestinians Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza, react to the news of the hostages' release, as they gather in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
Israel Palestinians A drone photo shows humanitarian aid trucks enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi
Israel Palestinians Hamas fighters escort a Red Cross vehicle to collect Israeli hostages released after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect, in Gaza City Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — After 15 months of collective grief and anxiety, three Israeli hostages left Hamas captivity and returned to Israel, and dozens of Palestinian prisoners walked free from Israeli jail, leaving both Israelis and Palestinians torn between celebration and trepidation as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold Sunday.
The skies above Gaza and Israel were silent for the first time in over a year, and Palestinians began returning to what was left of the homes they fled across the war-ravaged enclave, started to check on relatives left behind and, in many cases, to bury their dead. After months of tight Israeli restrictions, more than 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid rolled into the devastated territory.
The ceasefire that went into effect Sunday morning stirred modest hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war.
But in Israel, the joy of seeing freed hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher reunited with their families was tempered by major questions over the fate of the nearly 100 others abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, still in captivity in Gaza.
Damari, Gonen and Steinbrecher were the first among 33 Israeli hostages who are meant to be released in the coming six weeks in a deal that 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 subsequent stages call for more releases of hostages and prisoners and a permanent end to the war.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was pressured by the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump administration to secure a deal before the president-elect’s inauguration Monday in Washington, has said he received assurances from Trump that Israel could continue fighting Hamas if necessary.
On Sunday, many Israelis stayed glued to TV screens all afternoon to glimpse the women being released through the windows of the Red Cross ambulance. Footage showed them thronged by thousands of jostling Palestinians, including Hamas gunmen wearing green headbands, as militants handed them over to the Red Cross on a packed street in Gaza City.
“An entire nation embraces you,” Netanyahu said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right lawmaker who resigned on Sunday from Netanyahu’s governing coalition over the ceasefire, said the nation was “happy and excited” for their release.
In videos released by the Israeli government, the women were seen weeping and hugging their family members. Damari raised her bandaged hand in triumph.
The military said she lost two fingers in the Hamas-led militant attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in the abduction of some 250 others.
Applause erupted among the thousands who gathered to watch the poignant scenes on large screens at Hostages Square, the Tel Aviv plaza where families and supporters of hostages have been protesting weekly to demand a ceasefire deal.
It took another seven hours for such scenes to unfold in the occupied West Bank, where the mood was initially subdued as the Israeli military warned that public celebrations for the released prisoners would be punished.
But scuffles with Israeli security forces and hours of waiting did little to deter the crowds that flooded the streets around 1 a.m., as large white buses carrying 90 Palestinian detainees — all women or teens — exited the gates of Ofer prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Drivers revved their engines in celebration. Fireworks erupted. Several men climbed on top of the bus and hoisted three Hamas flags. “God is greater!” the crowds shouted.
Many of those released expressed elation tinged with grief for the devastation wrought by the war in Gaza.
A “double feeling” is how the most prominent detainee freed, Khalida Jarrar, 62, described it. Jarrar is a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secular leftist faction that was involved in attacks against Israel in the 1970s but later scaled back militant activities. Since her arrest in late 2023, she was held under indefinitely renewable administrative detention — a widely criticized practice that Israel uses against Palestinians.
“There’s this double feeling we’re living in, on the one hand, this feeling of freedom, that we thank everyone for, and on the other hand, this pain, of losing so many Palestinian martyrs,” she told The Associated Press.
All of those being released had been detained for what Israel called offenses related to its security, from throwing stones and promoting violence on social media to more serious accusations such as attempted murder.
The next release of hostages and prisoners is due Saturday. In just over two weeks, talks are to begin on the far more challenging second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
‘Joy mixed with pain’
In Gaza, there was palpable relief at the prospect of six weeks without fighting and Israeli bombardment that so far has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the fatalities but does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
The skies above the besieged territory were free of Israeli warplanes for the first day since a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023 that freed over 100 hostages, offering Palestinians a chance to take stock of the devastation.
“This ceasefire was a joy mixed with pain,” said Rami Nofal, a displaced man from Gaza City, explaining that his son was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Triumphant Hamas militants appeared at some celebrations, as crowds chanted slogans in support of them. The Hamas-run police reemerged from months of hiding.
Some families set off for home on foot, their belongings loaded on donkey carts.
“It’s like what you see in a Hollywood horror movie,” Mohamed Abu Taha said as he inspected the ruins of his family’s home.
Israelis divided over deal
In Israel, the scenes of Hamas gunmen celebrating openly in the streets of Gaza underscored divisions over the ceasefire deal.
Asher Pizem, 35, from the city of Sderot, said the deal had merely postponed Israel’s next confrontation with Hamas. He also criticized Israel for allowing aid into Gaza, saying it would contribute to the militant group’s revival.
“They will take the time and attack again,” he said, looking out over Gaza’s smoldering ruins from a small hill in southern Israel with other Israelis gathered to watch as the agreement went into effect. Warplanes roared, helicopters thudded and drones buzzed in the final moments before the ceasefire.
“This is a moment of tremendous hope,” U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said. “Fragile, yet vital.”
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Magdy reported from Cairo, Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Lidman from Narariya, Israel. Associated Press reporters Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Mohammad Jahjouh in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.