Israel on Sunday released 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three hostages held in Gaza by militant group Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal that began earlier in the day, The Times of Israel reported.

The ceasefire, pausing the conflict that started 15 months ago, took effect at 11.15 am local time on Sunday, or 2.45 pm as per Indian Standard Time, after a nearly three-hour delay.

The three hostages released by Hamas were Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. The militant group handed them over to humanitarian organisation Red Cross on a Gaza City street.

The women were taken to the Israeli forces who took them back to Israel. Photos and videos shared by the Israeli government showed that they had reunited with their families.

The prisoners who were released included women, several minors and men sentenced for offences such as disorderly conduct. Seventy-eight of them are residents of the West Bank and the 12 others are from East Jerusalem.

Nearly 2,000 inmates are expected to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire deal, The Times of Israel reported.

United States President Joe Biden said on Sunday that four more women will be released in a week. “Three additional hostages every seven days thereafter, including at least two American citizens, in this first phase,” he said.

“Hundreds of trucks are entering Gaza as I speak,” Biden told reporters. “They’re carrying assistance for civilians, who have suffered enormously from the war…”

Tom Fletcher, the chief of the United Nations’ emergency relief unit, said that more than 630 trucks with humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Sunday after the ceasefire took effect. At least 300 of them had gone to the northern areas of the territory.

On Wednesday, Qatar announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. Doha was the key mediator in the negotiations. The Israeli government approved the deal on Saturday.

The first six-week phase that began on Sunday involves the exchange of 33 hostages for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

This phase will also see the Israeli military withdrawing from all populated areas of Gaza and humanitarian aid being allowed into the besieged territory.

The agreement also allows hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their neighbourhoods in Gaza. About 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced within the territory, according to the United Nations’ Palestine refugee agency.

Negotiations for the second phase are scheduled to begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire. This aims for a “permanent end to the war”. It would also include the release of the remaining hostages, including men, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The second phase also entails the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gazan territory.

The third and final phase would include the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of any remaining bodies of the hostages.

Israel’s military offensive against Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched an incursion into southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, killing more than 47,700 persons, including over 17,400 children. About 400 Israeli soldiers have also died.

Some of the hostages were released in November 2023 as part of a brief ceasefire deal and some were killed as a result of the war.

Also read: Israel-Hamas ceasefire will not end war or bring peace