The first stage of ceasefire began Sunday 19 January
Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher return to Israel after 15 months in captivity
British-Israeli citizen Emily Damari was the last British hostage
Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages
In response, Israel launched a massive offensive on Gaza killing more than 46,000 Palestinians

Trending – Israeli-British hostage amongst the first to be freed

Emily Damari is among the three hostages released – in a prisoner swap as part of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire.

She and two other women were released by Hamas yesterday – they are all said to be in a stable condition and are undergoing more medical checks in hospital. Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released overnight in exchange for the hostages – most of them women and teenage boys.

The ceasefire is now in its second day.

Damari, the last British hostage, dominates much of the UK’s media today. The dual citizen “was shot in the hand, injured by shrapnel in her leg, and saw her dog Choocha killed before she was blindfolded and bundled into a car that took her to Gaza.” After 15 months, she is finally free.

Much of the media celebrate the release, whilst left-leaning publications also write about the aid trucks now heading into Gaza (as part of the truce deal) amid a humanitarian disaster in the area.

In exchange for the 3 hostages, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and teenage boys.

What was in the deal?

Whilst we await news of the current status of the signing of the truce, we do have some understanding of what the ceasefire agreement includes.

The ceasefire deal is split into three stages.

First stage

A six-week “full and complete” ceasefire
33 Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners freed
Three hostages are to be released straight away with the rest taking place over the six weeks
Israeli troops will pull out of all populated areas of Gaza
A surge in humanitarian aid deliveries in Gaza with hundreds of lorries let in each day

Second stage

“A permanent end to the war” (Biden)
Remaining living hostages released in return for more Palestinian prisoners
Israel is believed to have agreed to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners
There would also be a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Third stage

Reconstruction of Gaza
Returning the bodies of the hostages

Negotiations for the second and third stages will begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire, a Palestinian official said.

The reaction

All the newspapers react with a celebratory tone as the hostages return. Almost all the front pages feature an image of the hostages – mostly Emily’s return. Online, several publications celebrate the 90 Palestinian prisoners who have been released and reports of humanitarian aid trucks entering the embattled strip.

Several papers focus on the horrors the hostages endured. The Times questions the health of the hostages and notes they will remain in hospital for some time, whilst the Metro notes Brit Emily appeared to have lost two fingers from being shot in the hand.

Other publications call for more hostages to be released. The Mail notes Emily’s “defiant smile” upon being freed after 471 days in captivity whilst her mum calls for the rest of the hostages to be released. The Mirror also highlights Mrs Damari’s call for the rest of the hostages to be released, whilst the Express and The Sun highlight the 15 months of “hell” Emily endured.

Many of the papers use the phrase: “Home at last”.