IRIA News

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Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners, including 69 women and nine children, early on January 20, hours after three Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity in Gaza returned to Israel as the long-waited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold Sunday.

For the first time in 471 days, the skies over Gaza finally went quiet, and Palestinian medics didn’t report a single death from Israeli military action on Monday.

The fragile ceasefire took effect over Gaza on Sunday, ending 14 months of constant conflict. The six-week truce, approved by Israel’s government late Friday, was delayed when Hamas failed to release the names of three Israeli hostages. During the delay, Israeli forces continued their bombardment. At least 103 Palestinians were reported killed and more than 264 wounded in the attacks since the announcement of the recent ceasefire agreement.

Joy and relief across Gaza and Israel

Celebrations erupted across Gaza and Israel even before the ceasefire took effect, as Palestinians began returning to their homes.

In Gaza, the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners was met with joyous celebrations. The prisoners, including 69 women and 21 teenage boys, were greeted by large crowds as they returned to the West Bank.

The crowds lifted many of the freed prisoners up onto their shoulders in an emotional show of support. Khalida Jarrar, a prominent political figure, and Bushra al-Tawil, a journalist, were among those freed. Al-Tawil expressed relief, saying, “The wait was extremely hard. But thank God, we were certain that at any moment we would be released.” She hoped her father would be released soon, too.

Meanwhile, Israelis celebrated the return of three hostages, Damari, Gonen, and Steinbrecher, after more than 470 days. These women are the first of 33 hostages who will be freed over the next six weeks, as part of the ceasefire deal, which also includes the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and increased aid deliveries to Gaza. Footage showed the hostages arriving draped in Israeli flags and warmly embraced by their families.

Mandy Damari, mother of Emily Damari, who was freed from Hamas captivity, expressed heartfelt gratitude to those involved in her daughter’s release. She described Emily as “the happiest girl in the world” and said, “she has her life back.” The Damari family emphasized that the remaining 94 hostages should not be forgotten, urging, “the ceasefire must continue and every last hostage must be returned to their families.”

Middle East Conflict Highlights

• Ceasefire Deal: Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire agreement after more than 15 months of violence. The deal includes the release of hostages, with the first three Israeli hostages being freed on Sunday. Over the next six weeks, 33 hostages are expected to be released by Hamas, while Israel will free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
• Israel-Gaza War: The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking civilians hostage. Israel’s retaliatory invasion devastated Gaza, killing tens of thousands and displacing nearly 2 million people.
• Gaza Crisis: Over 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, with women and children making up the majority of the fatalities. Gaza has faced widespread destruction, with many areas reduced to rubble and essential infrastructure in ruins.
• U.S. involvement: Despite political tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and some U.S. officials, the U.S. continues to support Israel, providing military aid and vetoing UN ceasefire resolutions.
• Palestinians return to homes: Displaced Palestinians have started returning to their homes in Gaza. The first aid trucks have also entered Gaza, bringing much-needed supplies to the devastated population.
• What happens next? The next hostage exchange is expected on January 25, with Hamas set to release four female hostages in exchange for 30-50 Palestinian detainees per hostage. However, the situation after the deal’s first phase of 42 days remains uncertain.

Over 600 humanitarian aid trucks head into Gaza

Aid has been largely restricted during the conflict, but under the ceasefire agreement, 600 trucks are expected to enter Gaza daily, bringing much-needed relief.

United Nations humanitarian officials report that more than 630 trucks of aid have entered Gaza following the ceasefire deal. Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said at least 300 of these trucks are delivering aid to northern Gaza. “There is no time to lose,” Fletcher wrote. “After 15 months of relentless war, the humanitarian needs are staggering.” The ceasefire agreement stipulates that 600 trucks of aid are to enter Gaza daily.

The ceasefire deal has begun and UNICEF trucks with water, hygiene kits and nutrition items are entering the Gaza Strip.

A ceasefire agreement is a critical first step, but it must be upheld. Parties to conflict must ensure safe, unimpeded access for aid to reach every child. pic.twitter.com/y4e2zbpBYO

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) January 19, 2025

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, said the target is to increase aid deliveries to between 500 and 600 trucks daily in the coming weeks. While the ceasefire offers “a sign of hope,” WHO officials caution that the situation remains dire due to severe shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies.

Palestinians return to Gaza to find their homes reduced to rubble

As the ceasefire took hold, displaced families returned to scenes of devastation, with videos showing men, women, and children walking along roads carrying belongings.

Thousands of displaced Gazans returned to their hometowns to find their homes reduced to rubble, bodies of loved ones still buried under debris, and entire communities flattened.

At least 47,000 Palestinians have been killed and 111,091 injured, with the majority of the dead being women and children, in Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

“The city that always embraced hope and life has been transformed into rubble and ruins as a result of the brutal and systematic aggression,” said Ahmad Soufi, the mayor of Rafah, describing the destruction. “Entire neighborhoods were wiped out, the infrastructure destroyed and the city became uninhabitable.” He said 60% of the city’s homes or about 16,000 buildings were destroyed, alongside critical infrastructure such as water wells, sewage systems, hospitals, and schools.

Drone footage shows unprecedented scale of destruction in Gaza caused by Israel’s war pic.twitter.com/NCxcUEmnqG

— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) January 20, 2025

Bulldozers have begun clearing roads, and local authorities urged international support to rebuild. However, aid workers warn that providing sufficient shelter and supplies will be a significant challenge.

Gaza reconstruction will take tens of billions of dollars

Reconstructing Gaza will be a long and costly process, set to begin in earnest during the third phase of the ceasefire agreement, which could still be several months away. A UN damage assessment earlier revealed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble from Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion. The debris is believed to contain asbestos and human remains, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health estimating that 10,000 bodies are still missing under the rubble.

UN satellite data from December 2024 showed that two-thirds of Gaza’s pre-war structures, over 170,000 buildings, have been damaged or flattened. UN trade body UNCTAD’s report highlighted that restoring Gaza’s pre-conflict socioeconomic conditions could take decades and tens of billions of dollars. In its May 2024 estimate, the UN Agency for Development (UNDP) suggested that it will cost US$40 to $50 billion to rebuild Gaza and require an effort on a scale the world has not seen since World War II.

The UN warns that Gaza faces a massive rebuilding effort, with lives lost, homes leveled, infrastructure in ruins, farmland devastated, and hunger widespread. The path to recovery is daunting and will require global support https://t.co/MQC3VYPaI7 pic.twitter.com/ZUt2idEr0m

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 17, 2025

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that rebuilding the health sector alone will cost $3 billion over the next 18 months, with total needs for the sector reaching $10 billion over the next five to seven years. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for Palestinian territories, described the destruction as unprecedented: “The destruction is so massive, I have never seen that anywhere in my life.”