Members of the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, participate in a military parade on a street in Deir el-Balah, in the center of the Gaza Strip, on Jan. 19, 2025. (Credit: Bashar Taleb/AFP)
Thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza began returning home Sunday amid widespread destruction on the first day of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which includes the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
On the eve of Donald Trump's return to the White House, weapons fell silent at 9:15 a.m. GMT, nearly three hours later than planned, after Israel claimed Hamas was "delaying" the truce by not providing the names of three Israeli women to be released during the day.
According to the Hostages' Families Forum, the women are Israeli-British citizen Emily Damari and Israeli-Romanian citizen Doron Steinbrecher, who were captured at Kfar Aza kibbutz, and Romi Gonen, who was abducted at the Nova music festival during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel.
The implementation of the agreement has lifted hopes for lasting peace in the Palestinian territory, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that his military might resume hostilities.
Even before hostilities were suspended, thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning home across the territory devastated by more than 15 months of war, according to AFP footage.
Riding in pickup trucks or traveling on foot, some smiled and flashed victory signs, while others shared sweets or waved the Palestinian flag.
"Unlivable"
In Jabalia, in the far north of Gaza, joy was mixed with dismay at the apocalyptic landscape left behind by Israeli military operations.
"There is nothing left in the north. It’s become unlivable," lamented Walid Abou Jiab, who had just returned home.
Masked and armed Hamas fighters paraded in Deir al-Balah in the center of the small Palestinian territory, where the vast majority of its 2.4 million residents have been displaced.
Between the originally planned start of the truce and its actual implementation, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed eight Palestinians, according to local civil defense officials.
Hamas attributed the delay in providing the hostage list to “complications on the ground and continued bombings.”
After the list was submitted, Israel announced that the cease-fire went into effect at 9:15 a.m. GMT.
Netanyahu's Warning
The agreement, brokered Wednesday by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt, aims, according to Doha, to eventually lead to a "definitive end" to the war.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the truce is "a temporary cease-fire" and reserved "the right to resume warfare if necessary."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also cautioned against ongoing "regional instability" if Hamas remains in power in Gaza.
Opposed to the truce, the far-right party of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced it was leaving Netanyahu's coalition, which still holds a parliamentary majority.
"Joy" and "Regret"
Under the terms of the agreement, hostilities must cease, and 33 Israeli hostages will be released in an initial six-week phase. Three reception points for hostages have been set up at Israel's border with Gaza, according to a military official.
In exchange, Israeli authorities said they would release 1,904 Palestinian prisoners during this period, with 90 expected to be freed by Sunday. Hamas reported it was awaiting the list "shortly."
Two French-Israelis, Ofer Kalderon, 54, and Ohad Yahalomi, 50, are among the 33 hostages to be freed, according to the French government.
Among the Palestinian prisoners set to be freed is Zakaria al-Zoubeidi, a former local leader of Fatah's armed wing, who was arrested and imprisoned in 2019.
600 Aid Trucks
According to U.S. President Joe Biden, the first phase of the agreement also includes an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas in Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the territory, which the U.N. says is on the brink of famine.
Egypt said the agreement provides for the entry of "600 aid trucks per day." By Sunday, "197 aid trucks and five fuel trucks" had entered through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, as well as through two other border crossings between Egypt and Israel, an Egyptian official said.
During the first phase, terms for the second phase will be negotiated, aiming to secure the release of the remaining hostages before the third and final phase, which focuses on rebuilding Gaza and returning the bodies of hostages who died in captivity.
At least 46,913 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Israeli war on Gaza, according to data from its Health Ministry, which the U.N. considers reliable.