Gaza: Hamas released three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross on Sunday, Israeli state media reported, hours after a Gaza ceasefire took effect, marking the first of dozens expected to be freed under the agreement.
Earlier, Israeli authorities also began transferring Palestinian detainees to Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank in preparation for their release later in the evening.
According to the state-owned Kan TV news, the move came after the Red Cross began heading to a meeting point with Hamas forces, where the first three Israeli hostages would be transferred to the international organisation before being taken to Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.
Also, the first humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza from Egypt on Sunday as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire started taking effect, Palestinian sources confirmed.
The sources told Xinhua news agency that the first humanitarian aid entered the coastal enclave through the border crossing of Kerem Shalom in the southern of Gaza.
Earlier in the day, the Egyptian state-run Nile TV showed footage of dozens of aid trucks crossing the Egyptian side of Rafah crossing to be inspected by Israeli authorities before crossing the Palestinian side to enter Gaza.
Delegations from mediators Qatar and the United States, in addition to others from Palestine and Israel, arrived in Cairo on Sunday to monitor the implementation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, added the TV reports.
Based on the ceasefire agreement, about 600 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including 50 fuel trucks, would enter Gaza every day to ease the humanitarian crises in Gaza.
The 42-day first stage of the ceasefire deal, reached on Wednesday through the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, started taking effect on Sunday after Hamas provided a list of the three Israeli female captives to be released later in the day, the report noted.
Also, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the ceasefire agreement started taking effect.
A day earlier, Al-Ansari announced that the Gaza ceasefire would commence on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed on a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal after intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S.
Earlier, Egypt resumed sending humanitarian aid trucks to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the enclave after the recently reached Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement started taking effect, the Egyptian State TV reported.
Egypt Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy arrived at Arish Airport early Saturday to inspect hospitals’ readiness to receive injured Gazans and monitor final aid delivery arrangements to the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian state news agency reported.
(IANS)
