First three hostages back in Israel, IDF says, after being released by Hamas as part of Gaza ceasefire deal – live
Three hostages now in Israeli territory, IDF says
Israel’s military says the three hostages are now in Israeli territory.
“A short while ago, accompanied by IDF and ISA forces, the released hostages crossed the border into Israeli territory,” the IDF said.
“The released hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.”
Key events
The PA has reported the following lines from Emily Damari’s mother Mandy following her release alongside two other hostages who were held by Hamas:
Mandy thanked “everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name”, adding “while Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over, for too many other families the impossible wait continues.”
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has hailed Hamas’s release of three hostages including British citizen Emily Damari.
In a statement on Sunday, Starmer said:
“The release of three hostages today is wonderful and long-overdue news after months of agony for them and their families. Among them is British citizen Emily Damari, who will now be reunited with her family, including her mother Amanda who has never stopped her tireless fight to bring her daughter home.
I wish them all the very best as they begin the road to recovery after the intolerable trauma they have experienced. We stand ready to offer assistance and support.
However, today also represents another day of suffering for those who haven’t made it home yet – so while this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas.
We must now see the remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of those remaining hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a permanent and peaceful solution.”
French president Emmanuel Macron told Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas that a return to Palestinian governance was needed in Gaza following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Agence France-Presse reports.
According to Macron’s office, Macron told Abbas in a phone call on Sunday that this should “fully incorporate the Palestinian Authority” and that Gaza’s future should be aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state.
Macron added that “no massacre, like the one perpetrated on October 7 [2023] can ever be committed against the Israeli people again.”
The IDF has confirmed the names of the three hostages who were released by Hamas on Sunday evening.
The names of the hostages, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, match earlier reports of the list of hostages that Hamas was set to release today.
UN Women has released a statement in response to the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, calling it news that “brings relief for the 1 million women and children” in Gaza who have been subjected to Israeli attacks over the last 15 months.
The UN organization said:
UN Women welcomes the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, including the hostage release deal, which went into effect today.
We join the Secretary-General in expressing hope that all parties will honor their commitments to ensure this agreement paves the way for a lasting peace for women and girls in Palestine, Israel, and the region. The news of the ceasefire brings relief for the 1 million women and girls who have lived under continued bombardment, without safety in Gaza for the last 470 days. The news of the initial release of hostages brings immense relief to them and their families. The ceasefire agreement marks a crucial step towards stability and peace.
Urgent humanitarian relief is needed throughout Gaza to alleviate the immense suffering. The conflict has caused death and destruction on an unprecedented scale for everyone in Gaza, with women and girls suffering from specific gendered vulnerabilities throughout it. Women have been at the forefront of humanitarian responses and community action, serving as primary caregivers, heads of households, and leaders in their communities.”
Three hostages now in Israeli territory, IDF says
Israel’s military says the three hostages are now in Israeli territory.
“A short while ago, accompanied by IDF and ISA forces, the released hostages crossed the border into Israeli territory,” the IDF said.
“The released hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.”
Joe Biden said that he was pleased to have his and Donald Trump’s teams “speak as one voice in the final days” of the ceasefire deal finalization.
Biden said the dialogue was “both necessary and effective and unprecedented.”
He added that success in the region is going to “require persistence and continuing support for our friends in the region, and the belief in diplomacy backed by deterrence.”
Joe Biden is currently delivering a statement on the ceasefire deal.
“I’ve worked in foreign policy for decades, and this is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve been part of,” Biden said.
He went on to add: “Now the region has been fundamentally transformed. Hamas’s longtime leader, [Yahya] Sinwar is dead. Hamas sponsors in the Middle East have been badly weakened by Israel, backed by the United States. Hezbollah, one of Hamas’ biggest backers, was significantly weakened on the battlefield as the leadership was destroyed…”
Three hostages being escorted by IDF back to Israel
Israeli forces have received the three female hostages who are now being escorted back to Israel under protection from security forces and an “elite” unit from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). They are the first returned in this first phase of the ceasefire deal, which should last for 42 days. Hamas said in a statement earlier that Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Emily Damari, 28, and Romi Gonen, 24 would be the first hostages to be returned as part of the deal.
In a statement on X, the IDF wrote:
The three returnees are now being escorted by an elite IDF unit and Shin Bet security force on their way back to Israel, where they will undergo an initial medical evaluation.
IDF commanders and soldiers salute and embrace the returnees on their way to Israel.
The first stage of the ceasefire agreement should see a total of 33 hostages returning from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released.
We are expecting 90 Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons in return for the three Israeli hostages later today. It is not clear exactly what time they will be released.
Here are some images coming through the newswires from the hostage release:
