<p>Three hostages were released into the custody of Israeli security forces Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect. The truce prompted celebrations in the Gaza Strip, relief for families of Israeli captives and hope for an end to a devastating 15-month war.</p><p>Netanyahu’s office identified the freed hostages as Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. They were captured during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel that set off the war. Israel was expected to release 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women or minors, later Sunday in exchange for the hostages.</p><p>As the truce took effect Sunday morning, joyful Palestinians honked car horns and blasted music in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah, where celebratory gunfire rang out and children ran around in the streets.</p><p>And as Israeli officers said their forces had begun to withdraw from parts of Gaza, including two towns north of Gaza City, Hamas sought to signal that it was still standing and moving to reassert control. The Hamas-run police force in Gaza, whose uniformed officers had all but disappeared from the streets to avoid Israeli attacks, said that it was deploying personnel across the territory to “preserve security and order,” according to the government media office.</p>.Explained | What are the main elements of the Gaza ceasefire deal?.<p>Achieving the agreement on a delicate, multistage ceasefire required months of talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. The start of an initial, six-week phase Sunday was delayed by almost three hours, with Israel saying it had not formally received the names of the first three hostages to be released.</p><p>During the delay, the Israeli military continued striking in Gaza. The Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency service, said at least 19 people had been killed and more than three dozen were wounded in the attacks. It wasn’t possible to confirm the figures independently. The truce finally came into effect at 11:15 am local time, and in the first several hours no additional attacks were reported in Gaza.</p>.<p><strong>Hostage and prisoner releases</strong></p><p>Israel and Hamas have agreed to observe a 42-day truce, during which Hamas is expected to stagger the release of 33 of the roughly 100 hostages it still holds, some of whom are believed to be dead. In exchange, Israel is expected to begin releasing more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.</p>.<p><strong>Gaza’s destruction</strong></p><p>The start of the ceasefire capped a 470-day war that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians and injured more than 110,000 others, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Much of Gaza has been destroyed, and most of its roughly 2 million people have been displaced at least once by the war, which began after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and capturing 250 hostages.</p>.<p><strong>Humanitarian aid</strong></p><p>United Nations trucks carrying humanitarian supplies began entering Gaza just 15 minutes after the ceasefire took effect, according to Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN humanitarian office for the Palestinian territories. The ceasefire deal calls for 600 trucks to be allowed to bring aid to Palestinians in Gaza daily, although it was not clear how the supplies would be distributed.</p>.<p><strong>Next phase</strong></p><p>Big diplomatic hurdles lie ahead. Israel and Hamas reached the ceasefire agreement in part by putting off their most intractable disputes until a nebulous “second phase” that neither side is sure it will reach.</p>
<p>Three hostages were released into the custody of Israeli security forces Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect. The truce prompted celebrations in the Gaza Strip, relief for families of Israeli captives and hope for an end to a devastating 15-month war.</p><p>Netanyahu’s office identified the freed hostages as Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. They were captured during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel that set off the war. Israel was expected to release 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women or minors, later Sunday in exchange for the hostages.</p><p>As the truce took effect Sunday morning, joyful Palestinians honked car horns and blasted music in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah, where celebratory gunfire rang out and children ran around in the streets.</p><p>And as Israeli officers said their forces had begun to withdraw from parts of Gaza, including two towns north of Gaza City, Hamas sought to signal that it was still standing and moving to reassert control. The Hamas-run police force in Gaza, whose uniformed officers had all but disappeared from the streets to avoid Israeli attacks, said that it was deploying personnel across the territory to “preserve security and order,” according to the government media office.</p>.Explained | What are the main elements of the Gaza ceasefire deal?.<p>Achieving the agreement on a delicate, multistage ceasefire required months of talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. The start of an initial, six-week phase Sunday was delayed by almost three hours, with Israel saying it had not formally received the names of the first three hostages to be released.</p><p>During the delay, the Israeli military continued striking in Gaza. The Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency service, said at least 19 people had been killed and more than three dozen were wounded in the attacks. It wasn’t possible to confirm the figures independently. The truce finally came into effect at 11:15 am local time, and in the first several hours no additional attacks were reported in Gaza.</p>.<p><strong>Hostage and prisoner releases</strong></p><p>Israel and Hamas have agreed to observe a 42-day truce, during which Hamas is expected to stagger the release of 33 of the roughly 100 hostages it still holds, some of whom are believed to be dead. In exchange, Israel is expected to begin releasing more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.</p>.<p><strong>Gaza’s destruction</strong></p><p>The start of the ceasefire capped a 470-day war that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians and injured more than 110,000 others, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Much of Gaza has been destroyed, and most of its roughly 2 million people have been displaced at least once by the war, which began after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and capturing 250 hostages.</p>.<p><strong>Humanitarian aid</strong></p><p>United Nations trucks carrying humanitarian supplies began entering Gaza just 15 minutes after the ceasefire took effect, according to Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN humanitarian office for the Palestinian territories. The ceasefire deal calls for 600 trucks to be allowed to bring aid to Palestinians in Gaza daily, although it was not clear how the supplies would be distributed.</p>.<p><strong>Next phase</strong></p><p>Big diplomatic hurdles lie ahead. Israel and Hamas reached the ceasefire agreement in part by putting off their most intractable disputes until a nebulous “second phase” that neither side is sure it will reach.</p>