Red Cross handed over three freed hostages to Israeli forces
The Red Cross has handed over three hostages to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. This was reported on January 19 by the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Telegram.
"The three freed hostages, accompanied by IDF Special Forces and US military forces, are returning to Israeli territory, where they will undergo initial medical examinations," the statement said.
The army press service also indicated that the women had reached the territory.
The handover of the three hostages was also confirmed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The Prime Minister's Office confirms that Romy Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28) and Doron Steinbrecher (31) are in the hands of Israeli forces," The Times of Israel quoted the office as saying.
Earlier in the day, Hamas handed mediators a list of Israeli hostages to be released on Sunday, January 19. Later in the day, the movement handed over Gonen, Damari and Steinbrecher to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The Gaza ceasefire agreement was announced on January 15. The next day, the Ministry of Defense and the IDF began preparations to implement the agreement.
Theceasefire in the Gaza Strip began on the morning of January 19, as agreed upon by both sides and the mediators. The Israeli government approved the agreement with the Palestinian Hamas movement on January 17 following a six-hour meeting.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel. On the same day, Israel began to launch retaliatory strikes.
