Hamas released the first three hostages to Israel as part of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports.
The three women were accompanied to the specified location by several armed Hamas militants.
They reunited with their mothers at a Red Cross reception point near the Gaza border, as reported by the Israeli military.
The facility is located in Re’im, in proximity to Kibbutz Kfar Aza and the site of the Nova festival, from which the abduction occurred on October 7, 2023.
The first three hostages were freed.
According to the BBC, the women—Romi Gonen, 23, Doron Steinbrecher, 30, and Emily Damari, 28—will undergo initial medical checks before being transported to the hospital and ISA special forces accompany them upon their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.
Hamas militants kidnapped Romi while she was trying to flee from the Nova festival site. The Hamas terrorists abducted Doron and Emily from their Kibbutz homes. Emily sustained a gunshot wound to the hand and witnessed the terrorists killing her dog.
A total of 33 hostages are to be freed within the next six weeks per the Israel-Hamas deal.
Hamas prisoners released
Israel, for its part, released 90 Palestinian prisoners, as the ceasefire agreement dictates.
The 90 Palestinian prisoners include 69 women and 21 teenage boys, according to the Hamas Prisoners Media Office. Seventy-six of the prisoners got into coaches that left from Israel’s Ofer Prison in the West Bank.
The remaining 14 individuals have been released from a Jerusalem prison.
Netanyahu welcomes hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the hostages taken by Hamas with a statement on X.
“An entire nation hugs you, welcome back home. This moment was achieved thanks to the sacrifice and the fighting of our heroic fighters – the heroes of Israel. I promise: We will bring everyone back home!”
The ceasefire deal
The U.S. and Qatar mediated the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani says that the agreement will be implemented contingent upon approval by the Israeli cabinet.
U.S. President Joe Biden said it would “halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Biden for “promoting” the deal. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said it was the result of Palestinian “resilience”.
Before the deal went into effect, the Hamas-run Civil Defense agency reported that Israeli air strikes killed more than 20 people following the Qatari announcement. They included 12 people who were living in a residential block in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, it said. The IDF has yet to comment.
