Updated on January 19 at 7:04 pm EST
The Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect Sunday morning, leading to Hamas releasing the first three hostages out of the 33 they’re expected to free in the first phase of the deal, which involves a 42-day truce.
The three female hostages were handed over to the Red Cross, which said they were in good health and transferred them to the Israeli military. The hostages made it back to Israel, and early Monday morning, Israel released 90 Palestinian women and children from the Ofer Prison in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in exchange.
Out of the 90 Palestinians who were freed, 78 of them are West Bank residents, while 12 will be transferred to Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.
In the occupied territories, Palestinians can be imprisoned without charges, which Israel calls “administrative detention.” Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Israel will release 30 Palestinians per civilian hostage and 50 Palestinians in exchange for female IDF soldiers.
The Israeli military has imposed strict measures in areas around the Ofer Prison to prevent major celebrations from taking place during the prisoner release. According to Middle East Eye, the military ordered shops near the prison to be closed, and the police have warned families not to celebrate or raise Palestinian flags, threatening the release could be canceled.
Al Jazeera later reported that at least seven Palestinians had been wounded by Israeli forces outside of Ofer prison.
The ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to go into effect at 8:30 am Gaza time, but it was delayed three hours, and during that time, Israeli strikes pounded the Strip, killing at least 19 Palestinians. Among the dead were children preparing to return home because their family thought the ceasefire had started at 8:30.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday that its death toll since October 2023 had reached 46,913, and the number of wounded climbed to 110,750. The Health Ministry typically only counts dead and wounded Palestinians brought to hospitals, meaning their numbers don’t account for the thousands who are missing and presumed dead under the rubble.
A new study published in The Lancet found the Health Ministry’s numbers were a significant undercount, likely by 41%. The study said that as of October 2024, the true death toll was likely over 70,000, which only accounts for violent deaths, not indirect deaths caused by the US-backed Israeli siege.
