Rama Krishna Sangem
Donald Trump has kept his word. At least one of the two raging wars in the world is likely to end soon. Israel and Palestinian Hamas groups have implemented a hard negotiated ceasefire in Gaza. The ceasefire and exchange of hostages from both the sides has begun hours before Trump’s swearing in in Washington DC on January 20, Monday morning. The entire world welcomed the ceasefire, as a first step towards lasting peace in the West Asia.
The Israeli hostages taken by Hamas returned to their homes after 471 days, since October 7, 2023. Of course, more than a hundred had died in the war that broke out between the two sides since then. Likewise, many Palestinian prisoners held by Israel too were released on January 19 and 20 early hours. Though it is not exactly known, the exchange ratio of hostages is 30 Palestinian prisoners to each Israeli hostage.
Handed over to Red Cross
The hostages got into vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross as the crowd of fighters chanted the name of the armed wing of Hamas. Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as the ceasefire in Gaza comes into effect.
The hostages, all women, “were officially handed over to the Red Cross” in Gaza City ahead of their return to Israel, a senior Hamas official told AFP. They have been released after spending 471 days in captivity.
A giant screen outside the defence headquarters in Tel Aviv showed the three female hostages exiting a vehicle surrounded by armed Hamas men as thousands of Israelis cheered, embraced or wept in a square.
The hostages got into vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross as the crowd of fighters chanted the name of the armed wing of Hamas. The three hostages were handed over to the Israeli Defence Forces, who said that they would undergo an initial medical examination.