Four hundred and seventy-one days. That’s how long it’s been since the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have been home, safe in Israel, since they’ve seen their family members. The ceasefire deal brokered between Israel and Hamas earlier this week went into effect on Sunday morning and, as part of the deal, the first three of 33 hostages set to be released during Phase 1 of the deal have been released.
Hamas initially delayed providing the list of those who would be released Sunday, citing logistical issues — “Communication between operatives is conducted physically via couriers, and it takes time to agree on the names and the location of the hostages” — but finally, early Sunday morning, their names were released:
A little more background on these first three being welcomed home:
