In the 15 months following Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, hundreds of aid trucks began to enter Gaza.

Israelis celebrated Sunday night the return of the first hostage group from the Gaza Strip. This came hours after Israel’s and Hamas’ long-awaited ceasefire was implemented. Many displaced Palestinians began their journey home on foot after 15 months brutal conflict.

The hard-fought reprieve is hoped to bring an end to the violence that has seen more than 46.800 Palestinians die by Israeli forces, according to health officials in the area. It will also allow for the reconstruction of Gaza, which was largely reduced to rubble by Israeli airstrikes.

Joe Biden, the president of the United States, celebrated the safe release of three hostages – the first in what is expected to be a coordinated effort that will continue in the days to come – and said the ceasefire in Gaza had been reached because “Israel put pressure on Hamas supported by the United States.”

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In his last full day as president, Biden made a televised statement that said “Today the guns in Gaza are silent.” He said that the hostages appeared to be in “good health.”

The Israeli military shared a video showing the young women smiling and hugging the Israeli soldiers who were waiting. Later, they were reunited with the mothers of their daughters in Israel. Each pair of mothers and daughter embraced each other. They were then due to undergo medical examinations at a nearby hospital.

All the released hostages had been abducted in terror attacks led by Hamas on Oct. 7, in 2023. In these attacks, around 1,200 people died and 250 were taken hostage. This marked a significant escalation of a long-running conflict.

Three women were released: Doron Steinbrecher (31), a veterinary assistant taken from kibbutz Kfar Aza, Emily Damari (28), a British Israeli national taken also from the kibbutz, and a prominent figure in the kibbutz youth community, and Romi Gönen (24), taken from Nova Music Festival. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is a group that represents the relatives of captured people. According to them, Damari lost her two fingers on October 7.

Staff at Sheba Medical Center where the hostages had been brought said that they were allowed time to reunite them with their family and friends and suggested that none of the women needed immediate medical treatment.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime minister, told military leaders: “I know we all know they’ve been through hell.” “They are emerging out of darkness and into light.”

On Sunday, hundreds began to enter Gaza. A dire humanitarian crisis had developed and crucial infrastructure was destroyed by Israel’s offensive, which launched after the October 7 attacks.

Gazans had the rare chance to check out what was left of their houses after Israel’s blistering attack, which damaged or destroyed most of the buildings in the enclave and forced almost all its 2,000,000 residents from their homes. Some people celebrated the fragile ceasefire in the streets despite the destruction.

According to the Civil Defense agency of Gaza, the ceasefire was implemented after a delay of at least an hour during which 19 people had been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Israeli forces had continued to bombard parts the enclave prior to the truce.

NBC News crews in Gaza recorded video footage of large groups of families walking near Rafah in southern Gaza during the hours of the delay. It wasn’t clear whether they were aware that the ceasefire hadn’t yet taken effect.

A smiling boy was seen driving a cart drawn by a donkey while he shouted: “To Rafah! To Rafah!”

The crowd in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheered when the Red Cross announced that the hostages had been taken into custody shortly after 5 pm local time (10 am ET). ET) and crossed safely into Israeli land.

Israel’s Prison Service announced early Monday that the first 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released in accordance with the agreement. According to the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, all 90 prisoners are women and children. Every time a hostage is released, 30 Palestinians will be released — or 50 if it’s a soldier.

The coordinator for hostages and missing persons at Netanyahu’s office has stated that four additional hostages will be released within seven days. The coordinator for hostages, returnees and missing persons in Netanyahu’s office said that the families of those who will be released would be notified 24 hours before that date.

Biden stated that he expects to see at least two Americans released in this first phase. 33 hostages would be freed for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners.

According to senior administration officials and diplomatic officials, the first Americans who will be released are Keith Siegel (65), on the 14th day of ceasefire. Then, Sagui Dekel Chen (36), an injured American, is next.

Officials have said that the release of the other five Americans, alive or dead, would not take place until the second phase ceasefire agreement. The expected list includes a 20-year-old dual national named Edan Alexander whose condition is not known.

Hamas is still believed to hold 94 of the 94 captured and taken into Gaza in 2023. Four people have also been held captive by Hamas ever since 2014. It is believed that at least 34 hostages taken during Hamas’s attacks are dead. Two of those abducted in 2014 were also killed.

According to the World Health Organization, the ceasefire will halt more than a decade of Israeli bombings and allow up to 600 trucks per day to enter this enclave. The combination of a shortage of fuel, food and medicine, as well as deadly violence has led to a humanitarian crisis marked by widespread sickness and hunger.

The Israeli military has detained Palestinians and their families in the enclave. If the ceasefire is implemented as planned and all phases are completed, this will provide relief and closure to the families of hostages who have been trapped there under dangerous and terrifying conditions.

By the 16th day after the end of the first stage, negotiations over the second phase are expected to begin. Biden said that the second round of negotiations would be aimed at bringing about a permanent end to the war, as both the outgoing government and President-elect Donald Trump had pushed for a solution to the conflict before Monday’s presidential inaugural.