“The three hostages were officially handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Saraya Square, in the al-Rimal neighborhood in western Gaza City, after a member of the teams “the ICRC met them and checked on their condition,” a Hamas leader told AFP.
Shortly after, the Israeli army indicated that it had received confirmation from the Red Cross that it had indeed recovered them. They “are on their way” to Israel, she added.
According to the Hostage Families Forum, these are British-Israeli Emily Damari (28 years old) and Romanian-Israeli Doron Steinbrecher (31 years old), captured on kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Romi Gonen ( 24 years old), kidnapped from the Nova music festival, during the attack carried out by the Islamist movement Hamas on October 7, 2023 in the south of Israel.
Under the terms of the agreement, hostilities must cease and 33 Israeli hostages must be released, in an initial phase of six weeks. Three hostage reception points have been set up on Israel’s border with Gaza, according to a military official.
In exchange, the Israeli authorities said they would release some 1,900 Palestinians within this period, 90 of whom should be released on Sunday, according to Hamas, which said it expected the list “shortly”.
-The entry into force of the agreement raises hopes for lasting peace in the Palestinian territory, even if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that his army could take up arms again.
Even before the suspension of hostilities, thousands of displaced Palestinians took the road to return home, through the territory devastated by more than 15 months of war, according to AFP images.
On board vans or on foot, some all smiles made the V for victory, others shared sweets or waved the Palestinian flag.
