Israel-Hamas truce in Gaza holding after first hostage-prisoner swap

Name: Israel, Hamas begin hostage-prisoner swap as fragile Gaza ceasefire begins
Uploaded: 2025-01-20T09:50:07.000Z
Duration: 3 min 53 s
Description: Israel, Hamas begin hostage-prisoner swap as fragile Gaza ceasefire begins

China said it ‘welcomes’ Gaza ceasefire as Israel and Hamas begin swapping hostages and prisoners

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Israel, Hamas begin hostage-prisoner swap as fragile Gaza ceasefire begins

Agence France-Presse

Published: 5:50pm, 20 Jan 2025Updated: 8:29pm, 20 Jan 2025

A fragile ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas was holding on Monday, following the dramatic exchange of three hostages for 90 Palestinian prisoners in an agreement aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in Gaza.

The three hostages released Sunday, all women, were reunited with their families and taken to hospital in central Israel where a doctor said they were in stable condition.

Hours later in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel left Ofer prison on buses, with jubilant crowds celebrating their arrival.

As the ceasefire took effect, thousands of displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return home.

Israelis Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher before they were handed over to the Red Cross on Sunday. Photo: Hamas Media Office via AFP

The truce began on the eve of the inauguration for a second term as US president of Donald Trump, who has claimed credit for the agreement after months of fruitless negotiations.

In the northern area of Jabilia, hundreds streamed down a sandy path, heading to an apocalyptic landscape piled with rubble and destroyed buildings.