Hundreds of aid trucks were beginning to enter Gaza, which was devastated by Israeli airstrikes and shelling in the 15 months after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Smotrich said he has received assurances that Israel will resume the war after the first phase, during which 33 hostages held in Gaza are to return home and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. The second phase, which must still be negotiated, is to work out an end to the war and return of all remaining hostages.

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttled between the Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha on Tuesday, where officials said a deal to halt the war is near.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The first three hostages were released from Gaza and the first Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli custody as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold following 15 months of war, with mixed emotions and more difficult steps ahead over the next six weeks.

Palestinian prisoners released as part of the exchange expressed mixed emotions, celebrating freedom while mourning the ongoing devastation in Gaza.

Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were freed from Gaza. Thirty more hostages are set to be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The three released Israeli hostages were reunited with their mothers after more than 15 months at the reception point in Re'im, southern Israel, on Sunday evening.