GAZA: A fragile ceasefire in Gaza war was holding Monday, following the dramatic exchange of three captives for 90 Palestinian prisoners in an agreement aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in Gaza. The three hostages released on Sunday, all women, were reunited with their families and taken to hospital in central Israel where a doctor said they were in stable condition. Hours later in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel left Ofer prison on buses, with jubilant crowds celebrating their arrival.
As the ceasefire took effect, thousands of displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return home. The truce began on the eve of the Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term as US president, who has claimed credit for the agreement after months of fruitless negotiations. If all goes according to plan, the implementation of the truce will take weeks if not months, with only the first phase of the truce agreed so far by all the parties. Despite the risks, hundreds of Palestinians were streaming through an apocalyptic landscape in Jabalia in northern Gaza, one of the worst-hit areas in the war.
The initial 42-day truce was brokered by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt. It should enable a surge of sorely needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, as more Israeli captives are released in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody. Under the agreement, Israeli forces should leave some areas of Gaza as the parties begin negotiating the terms of a permanent ceasefire. During the initial truce, Israeli hostages, 31 of whom were taken by militants during October 7, 2023 attack, are due to be returned from Gaza in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians.
The first three released hostages, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, returned home to Israel after Palestinian fighters handed them over to the Red Cross in a bustling square in Gaza City, surrounded by gunmen in fatigues and balaclavas. In Tel Aviv, there was elation among the crowd who had waited for hours for the news of their release, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group hailing their return as "a beacon of light".
Following the return of the three women hostages, the Israel Prison Service confirmed the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners early Monday. In the town of Beitunia, near Ofer prison, Palestinians cheered and chanted as buses carrying them arrived, with some climbing atop and unfurling a Hamas flag. The next hostage-prisoner swap should take place on Saturday, a senior Hamas official said. International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric called on all sides to "adhere to their commitments to ensure the next operations can take place safely".
UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said 630 trucks carrying desperately needed aid had entered into Gaza in the hours after the start of the truce, with 300 of them headed to the north of the territory. The truce is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war, but a second phase has yet to be finalised. Thousands of Palestinians carrying tents, clothes and their personal belongings were seen going home on Sunday, after the war displaced the vast majority of Gaza's population of 2.4 million. The World Food Programme said it was moving full throttle to get food to as many Gazans as possible. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
