or the first time in 471 days, Palestinian medics in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip didn't report a single death from Israeli military action on Monday, as a tense ceasefire between Hamas and Israel settled into place. CBS News teams in Israel, Gaza and in the occupied West Bank saw more joy — or at least relief — than had been painted on the faces of residents for 15 months.
The ceasefire came into effect Sunday after an initial three-hour delay, during which almost 20 more Palestinians were killed, according to medics in the decimated Palestinian territory.
Under the terms of the deal, which the U.S. helped broker along with Qatar and Egypt, three israeli hostages were released by Hamas on Sunday after the fighting stopped. Just after midnight local time, 90 Palestinian prisoners were freed from an Israeli prison in the occupied West Bank.
After more than a year of devastating war sparked by Hamas' brutal Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack, which saw militants kill some 1,200 people and kidnap 251 others, the people of Gaza heard the sound of children playing Monday instead of the thunder of fighter jets and airstrikes, observed Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations' agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, in a statement posted on social media.
"Our teams reported a good first day of the ceasefire," he said, adding that aid and some commercial supplies had started flowing smoothly into Gaza on Sunday. Along with the reciprocal release of hostages and prisoners, that is the other major component of the ceasefire deal. At least 600 aid trucks per day are supposed to enter Gaza, carrying everything from desperately needed food and medicine to fuel for generators.
"The ceasefire must continue to hold and all elements of the agreement must be implemented," said Lazzarini. "It is a step in the right direction towards long-lasting peace and stability for all."
Palestinians eager to return to obliterated homes in Gaza
Reconstructing Gaza will be an incredibly long and costly process, and it is only provisioned to begin in earnest during the third and final phase of the 3-phase ceasfire agreements, which, assuming the deal remains in-tact, could be several months away. Still, the Hamas-run Gaza City Municipality said in a statement Monday that it started to at least clear the main roads, which had been closed during the war.
That will help as tens of thousands of displaced civilians plod back toward their towns and villages across the enclave, to assess the damage caused to their homes, and attempt to make use of whatever they can salvage from the ruins.
Thousands of families have started walking or dragging carts from displacement camps in Gaza City toward the razed towns and cities of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip.
Civil Defense rescue teams have continued recovering the decomposing bodies of dozens of people killed during the war, both from underneath the rubble of destroyed buildings and from the streets. The Civil Defense has estimated that some 10,000 bodies could still be buried under the rubble of demolished homes in Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Monday that hospitals across the enclave had received the bodies of 122 people recovered since the ceasefire took effect alone, including 62 pulled from rubble, raising the total number of fatalities in Gaza since the war began to 47,035. The ministry does not distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties, but says the vast majority of those killed have been civilians, including tens of thousands of women and children.
Joyous reunions for 3 Israeli families, hope for dozens more
A Red Cross convoy driving into Gaza City on Sunday was the first sign that Hamas was keeping its end of the bargain. But the hostage handover was chaotic; heavily armed Hamas fighters surrounded and climbed over the vehicles — a clear display of force and resilience after more than a year of war against Israel's vastly superior military.
But soon the world and the desperate families back home got a first glimpse of the three women being released as they bolted between cars, and to freedom.
Held hostage in fear for 15 months by Hamas, 24-year-old Romi Gonen, 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher and 28-year-old Emily Damari were finally on their way to being back in the eager arms of their loved ones. The three women — including Damari, an Israeli-British national who lost two fingers during the Oct. 7 attack when she was abducted — were all reunited with their mothers as soon as they reached Israel.
According to a list provided by the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, all of those released in the very early hours of Monday were women or teenagers, the youngest just 15. They were jailed by Israel, many of them without formal charges, for alleged offenses ranging from throwing stones to attempted murder.
The next swap of hostages for prisoners is scheduled to take place on Saturday under the ceasefire deal, with four hostages to be released in exchange for about 120 Palestinian prisoners. In total, 33 Israeli hostages are to be released during the first six-week phase of the agreement.
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