GAZA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Palestinians burst into the streets to rejoice and return to the rubble of their bombed-out houses on Sunday (Jan 19) after a ceasefire deal halted preventing in Gaza, and three feminine hostages freed by Hamas have been reunited with their moms inside Israel.
Armed Hamas fighters drove by the southern metropolis of Khan Younis with crowds cheering and chanting. Within the north of the territory, bombed into oblivion within the struggle’s most intense preventing, folks picked their method on slender roads by a devastated panorama of rubble and twisted steel.
“I really feel like finally I discovered some water to drink after being misplaced within the desert for 15 months,” Aya, a displaced lady from Gaza Metropolis who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah within the central Gaza Strip for over a yr, mentioned after the preventing stopped. “I really feel alive once more.”
In Tel Aviv, tons of of Israelis in a sq. outdoors the defence headquarters watched a stay broadcast from Gaza exhibiting the hostage launch on a large display. The group cheered, embraced and wept as three feminine hostages might be seen getting right into a Crimson Cross automobile surrounded by armed Hamas fighters.
Quickly after, the Israeli navy mentioned Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari had been reunited with their moms at a gathering level inside Israel, near the kibbutz and close by music competition the place that they had been kidnapped within the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas raid that precipitated the struggle.
Within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, buses have been awaiting the discharge of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli detention. Hamas mentioned the primary group to be freed in trade for the hostages contains 69 girls and 21 teenage boys.
The primary section of the truce within the 15 month outdated struggle between Israel and Hamas took impact following a 3 hour delay throughout which Israeli warplanes and artillery pounded the Gaza Strip.
That last-minute Israeli blitz killed 13 folks, in line with Palestinian well being authorities. Israel blamed Hamas for being late to ship the names of hostages it could free, and mentioned it had struck terrorists. Hamas mentioned the holdup in offering the listing was a technical glitch.
