Special English

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🎧 3 Israeli hostages, 90 Palestinian prisoners released as part of Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

💬 And in the Middle East.
A sixty-day truce has taken effect in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas as of Sunday paving the path for phased exchanges of hostages for prisoners.
Lee Eun-jin covers the first such exchange in months.

Sunday was the first day of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire that has halted 15 months of war.
On the same day, the first three Israeli hostages of the 33 that were agreed to be released under the terms of the ceasefire deal were freed by Hamas.
The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the transfer, escorting the three women to an Israeli military checkpoint.
Upon arrival, they were reunited with their families and transported to a medical center for examination, where the director said all three were in stable condition.

Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari were abducted on Oct. 7 near a kibbutz and music festival during the Hamas attack.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of people erupted in applause as they gathered to watch the news on large screens.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also released a video showing him receiving news about the return of three hostages.
Just over seven hours later, the first of the Palestinian prisoners were released.
Around 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed from Israeli jails into the occupied West Bank, arriving by bus to scenes of cheering and celebration. They had been detained for what Israel called offenses related to its security.
This was the first of several hostage and detainee exchanges set to take place during the ceasefire over the next six weeks.

The agreement reached in Qatar last week with the help of mediators calls for Hamas to release 33 hostages, including women, children, men over 50, and ill and wounded captives, while Israel is set to release more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the government is committed to the return of all 98 hostages,
major questions remain about whether fighting will resume after the six-week first phase of the ceasefire.

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