After 15 months, three Israeli hostages have left Hamas captivity as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold on the morning of January 19. Dozens of Palestinian prisoners also walked free from Israeli jail as the skies above Gaza and Israel were silent for the first time in over a year, stirring modest hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war. The ceasefire deal, with an initial phase lasting six weeks, calls for the entry into Gaza of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief daily. Over the course of the deal's first stage, 33 Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza will also be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Many Israelis stayed glued to TV screens to glimpse the three hostages — Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher — being released as militants handed them over to the Red Cross on a packed street in Gaza City. In videos released by the Israeli government, the women were seen weeping and hugging family members. Damari raised a bandaged hand in triumph. The military said she lost two fingers in the Hamas-led militant attack on October 7, 2023, that killed over 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of some 250 others. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, crowds flooded the streets around 1 a.m. on January 20 as white buses carrying 90 Palestinian detainees — all women or teens — exited the gates of Ofer prison. Fireworks erupted, and several men climbed atop one of the buses to raise Hamas flags. All of those being released had been detained for what Israel called offenses related to its security, from throwing stones and promoting violence on social media to more serious accusations such as attempted murder. Khalida Jarrar, one of the freed detainees, told The Associated Press: "There's this double feeling we're living in, on the one hand, this feeling of freedom, that we thank everyone for, and on the other hand, this pain, of losing so many Palestinian martyrs."