Three hostages return home as ceasefire begins

(JTA) — Three women whom Hamas held hostage in Gaza for more than 470 days have returned to Israel as a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war went into effect on Sunday.

The women are all alive and exited on their own from a Hamas vehicle, according to footage streamed from Gaza. Representatives of the Red Cross met them there in preparation for returning them to Israel, where their families and medical professionals are waiting.

The women, civilians abducted when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, were the first hostages freed from among 33 set for release over six weeks, according to a ceasefire deal struck last week. They are:

No official announcement was been made about their condition before their release, but Romi Gonen’s father told an Israeli radio station that he understood that his daughter would be returning alive. Their mothers were called to Reim, near to the site of the Nova massacre, to be reunited with the women.