First round of hostages released after ceasefire

(NewsNation) — Israeli hostages have been handed over to the Red Cross, signaling the start of Israel and Hamas’ three-phase ceasefire agreementaccording to Kan Radio.

Three hostages were received in Gaza in good health and have been transported to Israel. They will soon undergo a medical assessment.

On Sunday, 33 Israeli hostages deemed to be “humanitarian cases” – including all women, children and men over the age of 50 – are expected to be released.

The cease-fire agreement was to come into force at 1:30 a.m. ET, but was delayed by nearly three hours until Hamas released the list of hostage names to Israeli officials. The three women named early Sunday morning are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari.

Two American citizens, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, are on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase, which will last six weeks, but they are not expected to be released on the first day of the ceasefire, Deputy National Security It told advises Jon Finer to NewsNation.

He cannot say exactly when they will be released. No members of the Biden administration are in the region, Finer said.

French nationals Ofer Kalderon and Ohad Yahalomi are also among the 33 hostages, according to the French president Emmanuel Macron. Palestinians are expected to be able to return to their homes in the first phase.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog visited the Western Wall on Sunday to ask for the release of all hostages.

“With God’s help, we will see the return of the hostages today and until we see every one of them according to the signed agreement,” Herzog said.

“I want to share in the pain and offer a heartfelt embrace to all the families enduring these very difficult days as we are in an agreement that also releases murderers. But there is no greater ‘Mitzvah’ (commandment) than to release prisoners.”

Names of hostages to be released

The Times of IsraelandJerusalem Postreported the names of the 33 people to be released in the deal.

They are:

• Liri Albag
• Itzhik Elgarat
• Karina Ariev
• Ohad Ben-Ami
• Ariel is drinking
• Yarden Bibas
• Kfir Bibas
• Shiri Silberman Bibas
• Agam Berger
• Romi Gonen
• Danielle Gilboa
• Emily Damari
• Sagui Dekel-Chen
• Yair Horn
• Omer Wenkert
• Alexander Troufanov
• Abel Yehud
• Ohad Yahalomi
• Elijah Cohen
• Or Levy
• Face plate
• Oded Lifshitz
• Gadi Moshe Moses
• Avera Mengistu
• Shlomo Mansur
• Keith Siegel
• Tashi If
• Victim Calderon
• Tal Shoham
• Doron Steinbrecher
• Omer Shem-Tov
• Hisham Al Sayed
• Eli Sharabi

The process to release the remaining American hostages, including those who have died, is underway.

The temporary ceasefire will become permanent in the second phase. The third phase will involve the return of dead hostages and reconstruction in Gaza.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement reached

The cease-fire agreement was reached earlier this week and officially entered into force on 19 January.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu said in a statement that the decision was made after “examining all the political, security and humanitarian aspects, and with the understanding that the proposed transaction supports the achievement of the objectives of the war.”

Both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have claimed credit for the deal.

The pause in the fighting comes after more than a year of conflict and a humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

says Israel 405 soldiers have been killed in the conflict, while Gaza’s health ministry says more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed. It is not clear how many of them are combatants and how many are civilians.

NewsNation’s Ashley Soriano and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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