Hamas Releases First Three Israeli Hostages as Gaza Ceasefire Takes Hold

Israel will release 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange, including 69 women and nine children

by Dave DeCamp 

January 19, 2025

https://news.antiwar.com/2025/01/19/hamas-releases-first-three-israeli-hostages-as-gaza-ceasefire-takes-hold/

The Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect Sunday morning, leading to Hamas releasing the first three hostages out of the 33 they’re expected to free in the first phase of the deal, which involves a 42-day truce.

The three female hostages were handed over to the Red Cross, which said they were in good health and transferred them to the Israeli military. The hostages are already back in Israel, and now Israel is expected to release 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the 90 Palestinians set to be released include 69 women and nine children, the youngest being 15. They will be freed from the Ofer Prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and 78 of them will stay in the West Bank while 12 will be transferred to East Jerusalem.

In the occupied territories, Palestinians can be imprisoned without charges, which Israel calls “administrative detention.” Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Israel will release 30 Palestinians per civilian hostage and 50 Palestinians in exchange for female IDF soldiers.

The Israeli military has imposed strict measures in areas around the Ofer Prison to prevent major celebrations from taking place during the prisoner release. According to Middle East Eye, the military ordered shops near the prison to be closed, and the police have warned families not to celebrate or raise Palestinian flags, threatening the release could be canceled.

The ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to go into effect at 8:30 am Gaza time, but it was delayed three hours, and during that time, Israeli strikes pounded the Strip, killing at least 19 Palestinians. Among the dead were children preparing to return home because their family thought the ceasefire had started at 8:30.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that its death toll since October 2023 had reached 46,913 and the number of wounded climbed to 110,750. The Health Ministry typically only counts dead and wounded Palestinians brought to hospitals, meaning their numbers don’t account for the thousands who are missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

A new study published in The Lancet found the Health Ministry’s numbers were a significant undercount, likely by 41%. The study said that as of October 2024, the true death toll was likely over 70,000, which only accounts for violent deaths, not indirect deaths caused by the US-backed Israeli siege.