Ceasefire brings hope for Gazans and the families of Israeli hostages

A long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas finally got underway on Sunday morning.

There had been a delay of a few hours as Israel insisted it first receive the names of the three hostages due to be released during the day.

In a statement, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the deal, but said the hold-up in providing the list was due to technical reasons.

Brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it took effect at 11h15 local time.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, confirmed the Gaza ceasefire had officially begun as the list had been handed over to Israel.

“They are three Israeli citizens, one of whom is of Romanian nationality and the other of British nationality, and thus the ceasefire has begun,” he said in a social media post.

During the delay, Israel continued to strike the enclave, killing at least 13 Palestinians and wounding 30 others, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence agency.

The agreement ends more than 15 months of daily deadly strikes in Gaza and brings respite to the besieged enclave.

Thirty-three people held by Hamas are to be released in the first six-week phase of the ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.  

Meanwhile, people in Gaza have begun returning to what remains of their homes.

The United Nations says some 90 per cent of the population was displaced several times by the Israeli offensive.

People could be seen with car or cartloads of their possessions across the enclave, including in north where some of the most intensive airstrikes and battles took place.

Much of the enclave’s infrastructure – including schools, hospitals and services like water and electricity – was destroyed during the 15-month war.

For the moment, the ceasefire appears to be holding, and while Gazans breathe a sigh of relief and return home, Israel is preparing for the return of the hostages.

Stage 2 of the ceasefire is expected to see the remaining hostages released and a full Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.

Stage 3 will see the bodies of the remaining captives handed over to Israel in return for a reconstruction plan for Gaza.

Over 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli onslaught.

It began which began on 7 October 2023, after Hamas launched surprise attacks on southern Israel killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 others captive.

Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.