Three Israeli hostages were released Sunday as part of a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Facilitated by the Red Cross, the hostages were transferred to the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Authority just after 5:30 p.m. local time and crossed the border into Israeli territory shortly after that.
The hostages released were confirmed as 24-year-old Romi Gonen, 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher and 28-year-old Emily Damari.
Israeli authorities said the freed hostages underwent initial medical evaluations at a reception point in southern Israel once they returned. After those checks, they boarded a military helicopter set to take them to other hospitals.
The ceasefire officially began earlier Sunday after a last-minute delay of almost three hours.
The first phase of the ceasefire calls for Hamas to release 33 hostages over a six-week period. The plan says three female hostages will be returned on Day 1. Four hostages will be released on Day 7, and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
