Three hostages now in Israeli territory, IDF says
Israel’s navy says the three hostages are actually in Israeli territory.
“A short time in the past, accompanied by IDF and ISA forces, the launched hostages crossed the border into Israeli territory,” the IDF stated.
“The launched hostages are at present on their solution to an preliminary reception level in southern Israel, the place they may bear an preliminary medical evaluation.”
Key occasions
As Palestinian households proceed to attend for his or her kinfolk to be launched from Israel’s Ofer navy jail within the West Financial institution, Donald Trump’s Center East envoy Steve Witkoff took to the stage in Washington DC the place he hailed Trump for the ceasefire deal.
A warm-up speaker at Trump’s “victory rally” in Washington DC, Witkoff, simply gave all of the credit score for the hostage deal to Trump.
“I simply obtained on my telephone footage of the primary three hostages who had been launched,” Witkoff, a New York real-estate developer, stated.
“We had a good time, nevertheless it doesn’t occur with out Donald J. Trump. The president was chargeable for this launch and all of us owe him a debt of gratitude as do all of the households,” he added.
In the meantime, in an earlier assertion this morning, Joe Biden hailed his administration’s cooperation with Trump’s workforce over negotiations that helped obtain the deal, saying that it now “falls on the following administration to assist” implement the accord.
“I used to be happy to have our workforce communicate as one voice within the closing days. It was each essential and efficient and unprecedented,” Biden stated.
Listed here are some pictures coming via the newswires from Israel’s Ofer navy jail the place detained Palestinians – together with kids – are ready to be launched by Israeli authorities as a part of the ceasefire settlement:
Three Israeli hostages in ‘secure situation’
The three Israeli girls launched by Hamas are in a “secure situation” and will likely be monitored for a couple of days, in response to a information convention at Sheba Medical Middle in Tel Aviv.
A member of the hospital workers, Professor Itai Pessach, stated: “I’m completely satisfied to report that they’re in secure situation. That enables us and them to give attention to what’s a very powerful factor for now – reuniting with the households.
“We are going to proceed to watch all their scientific circumstances. This may take a couple of extra days till we full all of the examinations which can be wanted, and deal with, no matter we discover.”
Bethan McKernan
From a ridge on the western fringe of Sderot, the ruins of Gaza loom. Lower than a kilometre separates the Israeli city and the outskirts of the Palestinian territory, however after 471 days of struggle, the opposite aspect of the fence from Sderot’s shrubby inexperienced dunes resembles a dystopian parallel universe.
A couple of minutes earlier than a long-awaited ceasefire within the Israel-Hamas battle was supposed to start at 8.30am native time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday, the morning quiet was shattered by an Israeli airstrike on Beit Hanoun, the Gaza city seen from the ridge.
The Guardian final visited Beit Hanoun three days earlier than the Hamas assault on Israel on 7 October 2023. The realm’s many orchards had been stuffed with guava and the final of the season’s pomegranates. Within the fields, although, one thing uncommon was happening: models of Hamas fighters had been conducting drills, in full view of farmers round them and Israeli drones above. The aim of the coaching train would turn into devastatingly clear a couple of days later, altering the area and the world perpetually.
The outgoing US president Joe Biden has posted on X: “Following the ceasefire, hostages are beginning to be launched.
“Three Israeli girls held for 470 days. 4 extra girls in seven days.
“And three hostages each seven days thereafter together with not less than two People on this first part.
“We pray for his or her lengthy restoration forward.”
Palestinians in Gaza are each celebrating the ceasefire and grieving Israel’s destruction as many return to what’s left of their properties following 15 months of navy onslaught.
Chatting with Reuters, Aya, a lady from Gaza Metropolis who was forcibly displaced by Israeli forces and has since been sheltering in Deir Al Balah, stated: “I really feel alive once more… I really feel like eventually I discovered some water to drink after getting misplaced within the desert for 15 months.”
On Sunday, Palestinians have been returning to their properties within the north which suffered from Israeli airstrikes over the previous yr.
Amal Abu Eita, a Palestinian girl who arrived again to her house in Jabalia and used shovels to clear the destruction, stated: “We got here right here within the morning … even earlier than they introduced the ceasefire … We got here with hope, pondering we’d discover only a single room, something easy, only a small shelter to guard us. However once we arrived, we discovered the state of affairs as you see it – tragic.”
The ceasefire’s three-phase deal requires new negotiations to advance and is extremely weak amid little belief between the perimeters.
The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont gives his evaluation on whether or not the settlement will maintain:
The hours-long delay in implementing the Gaza ceasefire settlement will not be a superb omen for a deal that many concern may very well be doomed to failure because it strikes via its difficult three phases.
Whereas it’s a truism that every one negotiations to finish conflicts depend on cautious belief constructing and are extremely weak to spoilers, the deal to finish 15 months of preventing in Gaza that adopted Hamas’s assault on 7 October 2023 is extra clearly fraught than most.
Analysts and observers have identified that the design of the settlement, constructed over three phases that require new negotiations to happen because the ceasefire goes ahead, seems structured to ask a number of crises because it edges in direction of ever tougher terrain.
Belief on either side has been negligible at finest.
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Right here is video of the second the primary three hostages launched by Hamas returned to Israel:
UN on help vehicles: ‘We’re making an attempt to achieve 1,000,000 folks inside the shortest attainable time’
Following the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the UN’s World Meals Programme stated that it’s transferring as many help vehicles as attainable via border crossings to achieve Palestinians throughout the slim strip,
Chatting with Agence France-Presse, the WFP’s deputy government director Carl Skau stated: “We’re making an attempt to achieve 1,000,000 folks inside the shortest attainable time,” including, “We’re transferring in with wheat flour, able to eat meals, and we will likely be working all fronts making an attempt to restock the bakeries.”
Skau went on to say that the WFP will try to supply dietary dietary supplements to probably the most malnourished Palestinians throughout the strip who’ve confronted famine circumstances attributable to Israeli help restrictions.
Skau additionally stated, “The settlement is is for 600 vehicles a day… All of the crossings will likely be open.”
In response to the WFP, the primary help vehicles entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings on Sunday.
“Now we have 150 vehicles lined up for every single day for the following not less than 20 days,” Skau stated, including that he’s “hopeful that the border crossings will likely be open and environment friendly.”
Right here is video launched by the IDF of the second when the hostages had been returned by the Crimson Cross on Sunday and into the fingers of Shin Guess:
מצורף תיעוד מרגע החבירה של כוח יחידה מיוחדת עם השבות מידי ארגון הצלב האדום pic.twitter.com/m6DRdKgrha
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 19, 2025
Not one of the three girls launched right now had been a part of the group of younger Israeli troopers taken prisoner on 7 October whereas working as navy spotters.
It’s believed that 5 of these younger girls are nonetheless being held, and the Israeli press reported that their warnings about Hamas exercise close to the border fence within the lead-up to 7 October had been ignored by older, male superiors.
According to the Jewish Telegraphic Company, the 5 girls are anticipated to be a part of the listing of 33 hostages who’re set to be launched by Hamas.
The ladies’s names are Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy, in response to the JTA.
The Guardian’s Robert Mackey contributed to this put up.
Right here is a picture launched of Emily Damari together with her mom following her launch alongside two different hostages on Sunday by Hamas:
Right here is video of Hamas handing over Israeli hostages to Crimson Cross employees on Sunday following the implementation of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel:
Listed here are some pictures coming via the newswires from Israel and Gaza:
A person throws a baby into the air as displaced Palestinians rejoice at a tent camp following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Deir Al-Balah within the central Gaza Strip, January 19, 2025. {Photograph}: Ramadan Abed/Reuters