Israel-Hamas ceasefire begins, raising hope that 15 months of war will end

Celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes in Gaza, despite a bloody three hour delay.

A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took hold in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ushering in an initial six-week period of calm and raising hopes for the release of dozens of hostages held by the militant group and an end to a devastating 15-month conflict. A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the start of the truce by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.

But even before the truce officially took effect, celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes. Israel, meanwhile, announced the names of the first hostages expected to return home later Sunday, in exchange for the planned release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time, is just the first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

An Israeli official confirmed that Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were set to be released later on Sunday. Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival, while the other two were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the families had approved the publication of the names.

Hamas was supposed to provide the three names before the start of the ceasefire, originally planned for 8:30 a.m. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early on Sunday that the militants had not lived up to that commitment and that the Israeli military would keep fighting until they did.

Hamas released the names about two hours later, citing technical reasons and saying it was still committed to the agreement.

In the interim between 8:30 a.m. and when the ceasefire took hold, Israeli fire killed at least 26 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It did not say whether they were civilians or fighters. The military has warned people to stay away from Israeli forces as they retreat to a buffer zone.

In a separate development, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.

The planned ceasefire, agreed after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.

This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Dozens of people took to the streets in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis to celebrate the ceasefire, according to an Associated Press reporter. Four masked and armed Hamas fighters arrived in two vehicles as the celebrations were underway, with people welcoming them and chanting slogans in support of the militant group.

Gaza’s Civil Defence, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, held a parade in Gaza City, where the rescuers waved a Palestinian flag alongside other revellers, according to AP footage, which also showed a small group of people carrying the flags of Islamic Jihad, the second largest militant group after Hamas, which took part in the Oct. 7 attack.

The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low due to Israeli airstrikes. Gaza City residents said they had seen them operating in parts of the city, and the AP reporter in Khan Younis saw a small number out on the streets.

Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early on Sunday, even as tank shelling continued to the east, closer to the Israeli border, overnight. Families could be seen making their way back on foot, with their belongings loaded on donkey carts, residents said.

“The sound of shelling and explosions didn’t stop,” said Ahmed Matter, a Gaza City resident. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning to their homes. “People are impatient. They want this madness to end,” he said.

Israel’s Cabinet approved the ceasefire early on Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. The warring sides were under pressure from both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the U.S. presidential inauguration on Monday.

It came after months of stumbling negotiations between the warring sides, and mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US, and is only the second such truce brokered in 15 months of war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel is treating the ceasefire with Hamas as temporary and retains the right to continue fighting if necessary.

Netanyahu also touted Israel’s military successes in Lebanon and Syria as the reason Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. “We have changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu stressed that he was able to negotiate the best deal possible even as Israel’s far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Saturday he and most of his party would resign from the government in opposition.

Dozens of Israelis protested the ceasefire deal in Jerusalem on Saturday night, briefly blocking a main road as they shouted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign and the war to continue.

Many carried faux coffins draped in the Israeli flag as well as banners calling the ceasefire a “betrayal” of Israeli soldiers killed in the war.

Yehoshua Shin, whose son was killed fighting Hamas militants on Oct. 7, criticized the deal for releasing Palestinians from prison and called on American president- elect Donald Trump to scrap the de al until there is “total victory” over the Hamas militant group.

The ceasefire comprises of three phases. First, 33 hostages held by Hamas are to be released in a six-week phase in exchange for 737 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.

IDF forces will also move east away from densely-populated areas, allowing thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to what remains of their homes.

Aid into Gaza will also be ramped up, with 600 trucks expected to be allowed into the territory every day. A convoy of trucks has been amassing on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing since Friday. 

The U.N.’s humanitarian affairs agency says it has ratcheted up its preparations for providing aid to Gaza after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes effect.

While the details of the second and third phases have been agreed in principle, negotiations to iron out the details are expected to take place during the six weeks of phase one.

Phase two will see the remaining hostages held by Hamas released and a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.

Phase three will see the bodies of the remaining captives handed over to Israel in return for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan of Gaza to be conducted under international supervision. (Euronews)

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