Israel releases 90 Palestinian prisoners, Hamas frees 3 hostages as ceasefire passes 1st hurdle

October 7 Will Remain A Source Of Pride To Our People And Our Resistance, And Will Be Passed Down From Generation To Generation,

declared al-Hayya

Israel is held at gunpoint by the Hamas terror organization and has agreed to release almost 2,000 convicted Palestinian terrorists, to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and to temporarily cease-fire in order to repatriate 33 Israeli hostages."

He continued

Joe Bidenpresident

[T ... T]oday the guns in Gaza are silent" and this deal was "one of the toughest negotiations I have been a part of."

President Joe Biden spoke late on Sunday morning, praising the deal

Khalida Jarrarpolitician

There's this double feeling we're living in, on the one hand, this feeling of freedom, that we thank everyone for, and on the other hand, this pain, of losing so many Palestinian martyrs

Khalida Jarrar, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who was arrested in late 2023 and is the most prominent of the Palestinian detainees freed, told The Associated Press

I left hell and now I’m in heaven, we are out of hell,

an inmate told Reuters

I'm hiding under the bed and I hear them trying to enter my apartment,

her brother Dor recalled her as saying

They've got me! They've got me! They've got me!"

And in the moments of her abduction, she yelled

If you have that amount of power to survive another day and another day, then you must be the strongest person,

Yanai, 41, told NBC News at a rally in Tel Aviv yesterday,

You literally get to feel all the amount of feelings out there,

she added

Kidnapping of Noa Argamanihostage

I know how to be the one that will be left behind watching other hostages bring relief to their families. My partner, Avinatan Or, and many other hostages are in hell, and they wait for the second that you will be released, too.”

Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani said at a rally for the hostages in Washington

I cannot describe my feelings.”

Knowing her sister will be released today, she said

I think it’s beyond words, and I cannot really describe it.”

But the psychological toll of the experience has left her more shaken than anything else

We know the parents of the three women that are being freed today. We love them; we admire them,

Omer Neutra's father, Ronen Neutra, told NBC News at a rally for hostage families in Washington

Emily, Doron and Romi arrived at Sheba and met with their families and began to go through medical examinations,

Sheba medical staff members said in a statement

My brother, Omer, chose to put his own life at risk to save thousands of others,

his brother said

I remember I literally asked for a cigarette to just stop for a second, just to breathe and understand that I’m on the right side,

she said

We are just filled with gratitude for the work you have done and your willingness to have your team work shoulder to shoulder with the Biden team in recent weeks,

he said

Their return today represents a beacon of light in the darkness, a moment of hope and triumph of the human spirit,

it said

Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrahhamas armed wing spokesman

We, along with other resistance factions, declare our full commitment to the ceasefire agreement, but this remains contingent on the enemy's adherence,

Ubaida emphasized in a television statement

Daniel Hagarirear Admiral

Today, we salute and embrace them (three hostages) and their families as they reunite after so long."

In an address to reporters, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said