'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - Ninety Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are due to be freed after the release of three Israeli captives held in Gaza under a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
The ceasefire began at 09:15 GMT after a nearly three-hour delay during which Israeli attacks killed at least 19 Palestinians.
Israeli military says the released captives have arrived at initial reception point in southern Israel
The Israeli military says they will be reunited with their mothers.
Israeli military officers from the Manpower Directorate and medical officials are accompanying the three captives during the initial medical assessment.
Video from the ground in Israel, verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking unit, shows a gathering of people in what has come to be known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
They are there to support the three captives who have just been released by Hamas into the custody of the Israeli army.
Ceasefire must remove ‘significant security, political obstacles to delivering aid’: Guterres
In a post on X, the United Nations secretary-general has welcomed the start of the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives.
Antonio Guterres also said the world body is ready to support the implementation and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to “the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer”.
Hamas spokesperson says group committed to ceasefire deal
Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s Qassam Brigades, is giving a televised speech saying the group is committed to respecting the ceasefire deal and urging mediators to compel Israel to respect the agreement.
He claims the success of the process will depend upon Israel’s goodwill.
‘Guns in Gaza have gone silent’: Biden
Here are some of Biden’s remarks from his televised speech a few minutes ago.
On his last day as US president, Biden welcomed the ceasefire deal, saying “Today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent.
“This is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve been part of … but we’ve reached this point today because of the pressure by Israel on Hamas backed by the US,” he said.
“Now the region has been fundamentally transformed,” Biden continued, citing the weakening of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
He added that hundreds of trucks were entering Gaza to help its civilian population.
