DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — A cease-fire between Hamas and Israel took effect Sunday, silencing the guns over Gaza and renewing hopes of a possible end to a 15-month conflict that has killed tens of thousands and edged the Middle East to all-out regional war.
By late afternoon, an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees had begun.
Three hostages were handed over to Israeli forces — the first of 33 expected to be freed over the next six weeks in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinians. Israeli authorities were assembling the first 90 at Ofer prison north of Jerusalem.
The deal follows months of tortuous negotiations led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, with the Qataris regularly expressing frustration and threatening to walk away at one point.
The precariousness of the deal was highlighted even before the fighting stopped.
The cease-fire had been set for 8:30 a.m. local time, with plans for three female hostages to be exchanged for dozens of Palestinian prisoners later in the day.
But in the hours ahead of the deadline, Hamas failed to send the list of hostage names, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say there would be no cease-fire unless the information was received. Hamas blamed “technical field issues” for the delay and said it was still committed to the deal.
As the clock struck 8:30, Gaza residents began to celebrate, with thousands in the streets cheering in impromptu parades and aid groups distributing sweets.
Minutes later, with no word from Hamas, the sounds of explosions began to reverberate in the sky.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari issued a statement saying Hamas was not “fulfilling its obligations, and contrary to the agreement has not given Israel the names of the hostages.”
Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas react to the news of the hostages’ release, as they gather Sunday in Tel Aviv.
(Oded Balilty / Associated Press)
“Per the directive of the prime minister, the cease-fire will not take effect as long as Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations,” he said.
“The [Israeli military] is continuing to strike now in Gaza, as long as Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations to the deal.”
Almost two hours later, Hamas announced it had handed the names of the hostages to Qatari mediators. At 11:15 a.m., the cease-fire came into effect. Rescue services in Gaza said 19 people were killed during the delay.
Despite the shaky start, the cease-fire held throughout Sunday, allowing the first detainee exchange to begin around 4:30 p.m. local time.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis converged on so-called Hostages Square, the courtyard where Israelis have come in repeated demonstrations demanding the government move faster in releasing the hostages. Live broadcasts showed people cheering when news of the hostages’ release came through. They chanted “Everyone, now” — to indicate they wanted all hostages returned.
In Gaza City, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Sarayah Square — the designated handover point.
Hamas fighters armed with assault rifles pushed back the crowds as a convoy of vehicles carrying the three Israeli hostages entered the square. Moments later, the hostages were swiftly transferred to a Red Cross car, which delivered them to the Israeli military.
Relatives and friends of people killed and abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza watch as photographs of the first hostages awaiting release, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, appear on a screen in Tel Aviv.
(Oded Balilty / Associated Press)
The hostages were identified as Romi Gonen, 24, kidnapped from the Nova music festival; and Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, both kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
The crowd in Sarayah Square was eagerly awaiting the first 90 Palestinians freed in the deal — all women and children.
For Tareq al-Batsh, a 35-year-old taxi driver from the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza city now living in a shelter in Deir al Balah, relief that the cease-fire had come to pass was tempered by the frustration of not immediately being able to see his relatives in the north. The best he could do for now was call them to celebrate.
“Today’s joy feels incomplete,” he said
His wife, Diana al-Batsh, 30, said the first thing she would do was travel north to hug her parents.
“I regret coming to the south,” she said. “I came here for the children’s safety, but now it feels empty without everyone I love around me.”
They were returning to their home in the north, even though they know it’s partially destroyed. Al-Batsh plans to use tarps to cover holes in the walls as best he can. His wife said they would take some basics with them — mattresses, old clothes, a few essential items — and figure out the rest when they get there.
“We’re afraid this truce could fail at any moment, of course,” she said. “But still, for now we’re cautiously optimistic.”
Azhaar Rasheed al-Mashharawi, a 52-year-old housewife from Gaza’s Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, had been preparing for this moment for the last two days, sifting through belongings and gathering whatever she needed to start cleaning her house.
Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Yunis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday.
(Jehad Alshrafi / Associated Press)
“I wanted to be ready before anyone else,” she said.
She was looking forward to reuniting with her daughter, 35-year-old Rania, and her six grandchildren.
“I plan to buy some sweets for them. I just want to bring them something nice after everything they’ve been through.”
Nofal Ayyad, a 60-year-old builder also from Al-Shujaiya, said he was happy his family was safe, but he echoed the feelings of many of his neighbors, saying his “happiness will be complete only when I can finally go back home to the north.”
The cease-fire deal is largely similar to what was proposed in May but never materialized. The first phase, which is built on the exchange of 33 hostages — Israelis and some foreigners — for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, is set to last 42 days.
Of the more than 250 people Hamas and other militant groups kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, a total of 94 remain in Gaza. About a third of those are thought to have died.
As part of the first phase, aid deliveries will surge to 600 trucks per day, a vast increase that will provide much-needed relief at a time when vast swaths of the Strip have been obliterated. Roughly half the trucks will be dedicated for north Gaza, where the destruction is greatest.
On Sunday morning, UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, said 4,000 trucks — half of them carrying food and flour — were ready to enter.
Israel has agreed to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor — which runs from east to west and bisects the Strip — and Gaza residents can go back to their homes in the enclave’s north. Israeli forces will remain in the Philadephi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt, Netanyahu said.
A little over two weeks into the cease-fire, negotiations are expected begin on phase 2, which includes the release of the remainder of the hostages and eventually a full withdrawal and a permanent cease-fire.
It’s unclear how long those negotiations — which promise to be even thornier than those of the first phase — will continue, but Netanyahu insisted in a statement on Sunday morning that Israel would return to fighting if it concludes “negotiations on Phase 2 are futile.”
Special correspondent Shbair reported from Deir al Balah and Times staff writer Bulos from Beirut.
