JERUSALEM, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- A tense ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday, initiating six weeks of calm and raising hopes for an end to 15 months of Israeli assaults on Gaza that devastated the enclave and for the release of dozens of hostages held there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the ceasefire by nearly three hours after Hamas missed an 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) deadline to submit the names of the first three hostages to be released later in the day. Hamas cited technical reasons for the delay but later provided the list.
At 11:15 a.m. local time (0915 GMT), the Israeli military ordered its units in Gaza to cease fire, marking the start of the truce brokered after about a year of mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
An Israeli official confirmed the names of the hostages: Emily Damari, 28, a British-Israeli; Doron Steinbrecher, 30, a veterinary nurse; and Romi Gonen, 23, abducted from the Nova music festival.
They will be transferred to the Red Cross and then to a military compound near the Gaza border before being transported to Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv, where they will reunite with their families. The hospital said isolated areas were prepared for them where they could begin recovering in privacy.
In exchange, Israel is expected to release on Sunday about 90 Palestinian detainees from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, primarily women and minors.
Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded Gaza until the final moments before the ceasefire. The Israeli military claimed its strikes targeted militants, while Gaza's health authorities reported at least 14 deaths and 25 injuries in the last day of fighting. Black plumes of smoke rose over northern Gaza as airstrikes continued.
Broadcasts from Gaza showed Palestinians walking freely in the streets for the first time after a previous truce collapsed in late 2023, waving flags and celebrating. Aid trucks were seen entering the enclave, providing much-needed flour and other products to the population.
In northern Gaza's Jabalia and Rafah, displaced residents returned to scenes of widespread devastation, with razed buildings and infrastructure reduced to rubble. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents were displaced multiple times during the conflict.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported a death toll of 46,913, with 110,750 injured in the Israeli strikes since October 2023.
In Tel Aviv, crowds gathered in Hostage Square to show solidarity with the families of those still held in Gaza and to urge the Israeli government to adhere to the ceasefire agreement. A large digital clock displayed the duration of the hostages' captivity since their abduction in Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others. So far, almost 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with Israel estimating that half are still alive.
Under the three-phase agreement, Hamas will release the final 14 hostages only if Israel completes the deal's implementation, including a complete withdrawal from Gaza and ending the war. In the first phase, fighting will be halted for 42 days, during which Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages, including women, children, and men over 50. Israel, in turn, will release between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian prisoners, including all women and minors under 19.
The Israeli military announced it had begun withdrawing ground forces from Gaza as part of the truce. Soldiers are expected to pull back to a perimeter around the Gaza Strip and the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern and southern Gaza. By the 42nd day of the truce, forces are expected to start withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, completing the withdrawal by the 50th day.
Videos circulating on social media showed tanks and military vehicles leaving Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stressed in a press briefing that Hamas must be removed from power to ensure regional stability. "If Hamas remains in power, the instability it causes will continue," he said.
The agreement allows for a significant increase in aid to Gaza, with at least 600 trucks per day delivering supplies, including fuel to restore electricity. ■
