A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold at the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ushering in an initial six-week period of calm and raising hopes for the release of dozens of hostages and an end to a devastating 15-month conflict. A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the start of the truce by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.
Israel said the first three hostages have been handed over to the Red Cross and are on their way back to Israel. The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time, is just the first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted and still held by Hamas terrorists.
