Thousands of Israelis cheered and wept in Tel Aviv on Jan. 19 as they watched live video showing three hostages being released under a ceasefire deal.

Palestinian group Hamas on Sunday, 19 January 2025 released three Israeli hostages who were received by the Red Cross, who then handed them over to Israel. The long-awaited ceasefire came into effect on Sunday,

( JTA) — TEL AVIV — “They are in our hands,” IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on the huge screen that was broadcasting the tense release of the three hostages returned to Israel, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher.

Watch again as crowds gathered in Tel Aviv as the Israel and Hamas ceasefire saw the first hostages released on Sunday (19 January) after 470 days. The first three hostage were handed over to the Red Cross,

And three female hostages were handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross just after 5 p.m. local time, to be taken to Israel. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, a crowd cheered and clapped as the news came in that the hostages were in Red Cross custody.

The deal ushers in an initial six-week period of calm and raises hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held hostages and an end to the war.

Five Thai hostages have been released after 15 months of captivity in the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, dozens of doctors, nurses and representatives from Israel and Thailand waved flags, sang, and cheered

Hamas-led militants freed eight more hostages from the Gaza Strip and another 110 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel as part of a ceasefire that began earlier this month

Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud has been handed over to the Red Cross, Israel's channel 12 said, as footage showed her surrounded by a surging crowd and armed Palestinian militants in a chaotic scene in southern Gaza on Thursday.

The returning hostage, IDF soldier Agam Berger, has crossed into Israeli territory and "is currently on her way to an initial reception point in southern Israel," the report reads

As prisoner and hostage exchanges happen in Gaza, we hear about the International Red Cross's experience in facilitating this work.

Once the model international organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) did precisely nothing for Israeli hostages. The United States should review why it is contributing over $