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The ceasefire will see Gaza hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israel freed.
Last Updated: January 19, 2025, 12:09 PM EST
A [1 link] ceasefire between Israel and Hamasin Gaza came into effect on Sunday morning. [2 link] Hostages held in the stripand Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will be freed in the first phase of the deal.
Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. Israeli forces also remain active inside the Syrian border region as victorious rebels there build a transitional government.
Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.
Latest headlines:43 minutes ago
52 minutes ago
1 hour and 12 minutes ago
Here's how the news is developing.
Humanitarian aid flows into Gaza as part of hostage-ceasefire deal
As the hostage release unfolded on Sunday, horns were honking and dust was flying as trucks full of humanitarian aid passed through the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.
Now that a ceasefire has taken effect, renewed energy was seen at the critical route for getting aid into Gaza. An ABC News crew witnessed dozens of trucks carrying food, blankets and other supplies across the border gate. Several fuel tanker trucks were among those passing through the checkpoint.
Several drivers delivering the aid to a distribution point and others still waiting to do so, told ABC News they’ve been waiting at the crossing for months, with cargo neatly packed on trailers.
“Even if we can’t afford food for our families, we will put up with difficult circumstances to get it to them [the residents of Gaza],” one driver said.
Referring to the line of trucks parked outside the gates of the crossing, one driver said, “They should make it easier for trucks to get in.”
Since the war started, trucks have faced rigorous inspections by Israeli authorities.
-ABC News' Ayat Altany and Marcus Moore
3 released hostages meeting with their mothers, IDF says
The IDF confirmed that the three Israeli hostages released Sunday are meeting with their mothers at an area set up for hostages near the border with Gaza.
The hostages are also undergoing medical assessments before being taken to a hospital, according to the IDF.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
1 hour and 12 minutes ago
3 freed hostages are now in Israel
The three female hostages who were freed on Sunday are now in Israel, the IDF and Shin Bet said in a joint statement.
1 hour and 29 minutes ago
Biden says hostage-ceasefire deal 'has finally come to fruition'
President Joe Biden on Sunday said the long, arduous negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have "finally come to fruition."
"The ceasefire has gone in effect in Gaza," Biden said in an address from the White House. "And today, we're seeing hostages being released."
[3 image] Palestinian Hamas militants hand over hostages kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City, Jan. 19, 2025.
Reuters TV Via Reuters
Biden said three Israeli women "held against their will in dark tunnels for 470 days" have been released and initially appear to be in good condition. He said four more women will be released in seven days.
"Three additional hostages every seven days thereafter, including at least two American citizens, in this first phase," Biden said. "We pray for them and their families, for there's going to be a long recovery ahead."
Biden said that by the 16th day of the deal, talks will begin about the second phase of [4 link] the deal.
"This phase includes the release of Israeli soldiers and a permanent end of the war," Biden said. "Without them, without Hamas in power or able to threaten Israel, hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza as I speak. They're carrying assistance for civilians who suffered enormously from the war that Hamas started on October 7th, 2023, nearly 15 months ago. "
Biden said several hundred trucks will enter the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
"After so much pain, destruction, loss of life, today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent," Biden said.
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