90 Palestinian prisoners released from Israel

The ceasefire will see Gaza hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israel freed.

ByDavid Brennan, Nadine El-Bawab, Kevin Shalvey, and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: January 20, 2025, 4:46 AM EST

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza went into effect on Sunday morning. Hostages held in the strip and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will be freed in the first phase of the deal.

Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. Israeli forces also remain active inside the Syrian border region as victorious rebels there build a transitional government.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Jan 19, 2025, 7:21 AM EST

Aid trucks move toward Gaza from Egypt

Egyptian officials told ABC News that 197 aid trucks and five fuel tankers passed through an area along the border with southern Gaza for inspection so far on Sunday.

An aid truck crosses a checkpoint in Egypt's northern Sinai peninsula near the city of Bir al-Abd on Jan. 19, 2025.
Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images

If permitted, the trucks will later continue into Gaza. The trucks passed through the Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings, which have been key routes for aid during the war.

A key provision of the ceasefire that came into effect on Sunday is a massive expansion of aid allowed into Gaza to help address the humanitarian crisis there.

-ABC News' Marcus Moore

Jan 19, 2025, 6:29 AM EST

14 killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza

The Gaza Ministry of Health said Sunday that at least 14 people were killed and 25 injured over the past 24 hours, as Palestinians awaited and then celebrated the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, on Jan. 19, 2025.
Tsafrir Abayov/AP

As of Sunday, at least 46,913 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, the ministry said.

Health officials have warned that the number is likely to rise as authorities recover thousands of bodies buried under rubble or in other areas inaccessible by rescue workers all across the wrecked strip.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara and Victoria Beaule

Jan 19, 2025, 5:52 AM EST

Hamas says it's committed to successful ceasefire

Hamas affirmed "our commitment to implementing the terms of the agreement," in a Sunday statement shortly after the ceasefire with Israel came into effect.

Palestinian Hamas militants celebrate the coming ceasefire in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 19, 2025.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Hamas added that "all efforts will be made" to increase aid and return services in Gaza to "normal."

Referring to the planned exchange of hostages taken from Israel for Palestinian prisoners, the group said its "heroic prisoners have a date with freedom starting today."

Hamas also addressed the "heroic and steadfast people in Gaza" and said the world should "stand in honor of the legendary steadfastness of our people in Gaza, and in appreciation of their patience and sacrifices over the course of 471 days."

-ABC News' Samy Zyara

Jan 19, 2025, 5:29 AM EST

UNRWA says 4,000 truckloads of aid ready to enter Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Sunday it has 4,000 truckloads of aid ready to enter Gaza during the nascent ceasefire.

A Palestinian carries an aid box distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Nov. 4, 2024.
Ramadan Abed/Reuters

Half of the truckloads prepared for entry carry food and flour, UNRWA said in a post to X shortly after the ceasefire came into effect.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said last week that Gaza needs "rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies" to meet the "tremendous suffering caused by this war."

Israel's parliament passed legislation in October banning UNRWA from operating on Israeli-controlled territory, accusing the organization of having been compromised by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

UNRWA denied the accusation and warned that relief efforts in Gaza and the West Bank will be crippled by the ban.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

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