Three Israeli women held captive by Hamas for over 15 months were freed on Sunday after a delayed start to the cease-fire agreement. Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari, and Romi Gonen were kidnapped from their homes in October 2023 and released without signs of life being shown during their captivity.
The delay in releasing the hostages was attributed to Hamas’ failure to provide the names of those set to be freed, causing a 17-hour delay. The cease-fire went into effect at 11:15 a.m., allowing for the exchange to take place.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized Hamas, stating that the group had violated the agreement before it even began. He also acknowledged the “heavy price” of the deal but emphasized Israel’s commitment to releasing its hostages and achieving its objectives in the conflict.
The release comes after 18-hour delay due to Hamas not providing names of those set to be released as agreed upon. The hostages were freed under a cease-fire agreement that was initially slated for Sunday at 8:30 am local time, but it went into effect at 11:15 am instead.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced his resignation from the government on Sunday morning over the cease-fire and hostage-release deal.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/first-israeli-hostages-released-delayed-151537970.html