The first three Israeli hostages - three young women - have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with "Hamas", the Israeli military announced, quoted by DPA and BTA.
Television footage showed the three hostages getting out of a car in Gaza, accompanied by armed fighters. Their names were previously announced - Romy Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, who spent nearly 500 days in captivity after the attacks on October 7, 2023.
After being handed over by the Red Cross to an Israeli army unit in the Gaza Strip, the three women will be taken to a military facility in Israel near the Gaza border for an initial examination, after which they will be taken to a hospital in Tel Aviv, where they will meet their families.
The first stage of the agreement provides for the release of 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 1,904 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. In addition, the Israeli army must withdraw from densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip.
The deal was announced on Wednesday, ending months of efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to convince Israel to agree to a ceasefire and Hamas to release hostages it is holding, DPA recalls.