The Hamas has returned to Israel three Israeli hostages and in turn Tel Aviv released 90 Palestinian prisoners, as the ceasefire went into effect on 11:15 π.p.m. (local and Greek time) on Sunday – almost three hours later than planned.

The Israeli government has now lifted the ban on the use of the Palestinian Authority’s military force, which is now at 11:00 p.m. (local and Greek time) on Sunday.

Hamas even tried to use the release of the three women as a means of communication by releasing a video in which hooded members of the terror group give a “gift bag” to the hostages shortly before handing it over to the Red Cross.

In the bag of “gifts and souvenirs” Hamas put for the hostages photos of them from the period of their hostage-taking, a commemorative photo of Gaza and some kind of certificate.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the three women described the move by Hamas terrorists as a “cynical game” aimed at manipulating them.

The chronicle of the release

At 17:07, Hamas had confirmed that 28-year-old Emily Damari, 23-year-old Romi Gonen, 23-year-old Romie Gonen and 31-year-old Doron Stanbar Hair had been released and handed over to the Red Cross in the central Gaza.

By 17:38 the Red Cross had handed them over to IDF special forces, including the Shayetet 13 naval commandos.

At 5:53 p.m., the IDF returned the three hostages to Israeli territory.

The agreement calls for the release of 33 hostages in the first phase of 42 days in exchange for the release of security prisoners, humanitarian aid and an IDF withdrawal to a security perimeter around Gaza some 700-1,100 meters from the Israeli border.

Israel will release 30 Palestinian prisoners for each political hostage and 50 Palestinian prisoners for each female soldier released by Hamas. The hostages expected to be released in the first phase are those who fall into the humanitarian category, such as women, children, elderly or wounded.

Initially, the IDF transported the hostages to makeshift absorption centers on the Gaza border and departed by helicopter for hospitals inside Israel, after taking a first shower, eating some food and doing an initial debriefing.

They met with their families once they arrived at the hospital.

The three Israeli hostages released by Hamas are “in stable condition,” a doctor at the Sheba hospital in Ramat Gan announced during a press conference.

“I am pleased to inform you that they are in stable condition. This allows us, us and them, to focus on the most important thing for now: reuniting them with their families,” he said.

Israel: Hamas to keep low profile – military presence in West Bank strengthened

Meanwhile, the IDF said on Sunday that despite the release of some 80 arrested or convicted Palestinians in the West Bank (out of 98 released) as part of the ceasefire and hostage agreement, it will ensure that Hamas must keep a low profile in the region.

Further, the IDF said they have reinforcements involving seven companies to deploy much larger numbers of soldiers to hubs and many roads throughout the West Bank.

In addition, the army said it has received reinforcements of special forces, including Egoz units and commando units, to attack even more than usual against Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank in the near future.

As for the releases of the Palestinians themselves, these are mainly carried out at Beitunya checkpoint.

However, the IDF has said that it recognizes that some of those released, particularly younger Palestinians, have a high likelihood of returning to terrorism and that it will monitor those released.

The IDF noted that they have already killed three Palestinian terrorists released in the West Bank during the November 2023 hostage exchange in cases where they returned to terrorism.

The reports said that Gazans began returning to various areas of Gaza from which they had come, although until the 7th day of the ceasefire, the movement of Gazans is only allowed within the northern areas and within the southern areas, but the crossing will wait until the end of this week.

90 Palestinian prisoners released – Celebrations in the West Bank

Crowds cheered in jubilation today, shortly after 01:30 (local and Greek time) as two buses carrying dozens of Palestinian prisoners released from the Israeli detention center of Ofer in the occupied West Bank passed by.

Earlier, Israeli authorities said they had released 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of the first exchange under the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, after releasing three Israeli women held hostage in the Gaza Strip for 471 days.

The first group of Palestinians released were overwhelmingly made up of women and children, according to data released by the Israeli Prison Service.

Hundreds of people waved at the buses as they passed a road in Beitunya leading to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, waving Palestinian flags and banners of various political movements, particularly those of Hamas, while others also threw fireworks.

Young people shouted slogans in support of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas.

Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) could be seen on the buses, as well as released prisoners, who returned the crowd’s greetings with smiles.

The first group of Palestinians to be released included Halida Jarrah, a figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FPLP), a Marxist movement designated a “terrorist organization” by Israel, the US and the EU.

The list also included two sisters of Saleh al-Arouri, a leading Hamas leader who was killed in an airstrike in Beirut attributed to Israel in January 2024.

Simultaneously with the arrival of the buses in Beitunia, other prisoners and detainees were taken by Israeli authorities to their homes in Jerusalem.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which suspends the more than 15-month-long war that triggered an unprecedented Hamas assault on southern Israeli territory, provides for a series of prisoner exchanges. In total, 33 Israeli hostages from Gaza are expected to be released, compared with some 1,900 Palestinians confined in Israeli detention centers.

The next exchange is expected to take place on Saturday night.

What the ceasefire agreement includes

The ceasefire agreement comes in three stages. The first six-week phase of the deal sees 33 hostages – including women, children and the elderly – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Israeli forces will also be withdrawn from densely populated areas of Gaza, displaced Palestinians will be allowed to begin returning to their homes, and hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks will be allowed on the ground daily.

Negotiations for the second phase – which is expected to see the release of the remaining hostages, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops and a return to “sustainable calm” – are due to begin on the 16th.

The third and final stage involves the return of the bodies of the remaining hostages and the rebuilding of Gaza – which could take years.

However, unanswered questions remain – including which hostages are alive or dead, or whether Hamas knows the whereabouts of all those who remain unaccounted for.