Israel-Hamas live updates: Released hostages cross into Israel

The first group of Palestinian prisoners has been released from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank as a part of the ceasefire deal, the Israeli Prison Service said.

They are on their way to at least one drop-off location, where many will be reunited with family and friends.

Ninety prisoners and detainees were to be released in exchange for the three Israeli hostages Hamas released today. All 90 were expected to be women and children, according to the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs.

Scores of Palestinians had been waiting in areas around Ofer Prison in the lead-up to the release, some of them gathering around fires, singing and celebrating the planned release.

Some told NBC News that Israel had detained their loved ones under administrative detention, a practice in which detainees are held without trial and legal proceedings based on alleged evidence that is not shared with them. Israel says the practice is a security measure and that it prevents attacks, while Palestinians and human rights groups say it is often abused to detain Palestinians without justification.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, a group representing captives' relatives, celebrated the release of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher after they were transferred to Red Cross custody as part of a long-awaited ceasefire deal.

"After 471 agonizing days in captivity, Emily, Doron, and Romi are finally returning home," the group said in a statement.

"Their return today represents a beacon of light in the darkness, a moment of hope and triumph of the human spirit," it said, adding that it also "reminds us of our profound responsibility to continue working towards the release of everyone — until the last hostage returns home."

Families of the remaining hostages held a demonstration in front of the Washington Monument urging Trump to bring every hostage home.

Daniel Neutra, whose brother, Omer, an American Israeli soldier, was taken hostage, was among those urging Trump to ensure the return of every hostage. Israeli authorities said last year that Omer Neutra is believed to have been killed in the fighting and that his body is held by Hamas.

"My brother, Omer, chose to put his own life at risk to save thousands of others," his brother said. "We owe it to him to rescue the people he gave his life to save and to bring him home."

Netanyahu described the ceasefire as “temporary” and told the world that Trump gave “full backing to Israel’s right to return to combat.” Biden said last week that the deal would have three phases, which would include negotiations for a permanent ceasefire after phase one.

Sheba medical center has received the three hostages Hamas released today after they were taken to facility after 471 days in captivity. 

“Emily, Doron and Romi arrived at Sheba and met with their families and began to go through medical examinations,” Sheba medical staff members said in a statement.

The center's director, Dr. Yael Frenkel Nir, said the hostages' medical conditions were such that they could focus first on reuniting them with their families and postpone medical exams for a few hours.

Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani said at a rally for the hostages in Washington: “I know how to be the one that will be left behind watching other hostages bring relief to their families. My partner, Avinatan Or, and many other hostages are in hell, and they wait for the second that you will be released, too.”

After she was freed in an Israeli raid on Gaza that left a trail of destruction in its wake, Argamani advocated for the hostages still in Gaza, including her boyfriend, to senior diplomats, saying they needed to be brought home before it was “too late.”

The father of a soldier killed on Oct. 7, 2023, said it had been a "a very emotional day" as Hamas released three hostages as part of a ceasefire deal.

"We know the parents of the three women that are being freed today. We love them; we admire them," Omer Neutra's father, Ronen Neutra, told NBC News at a rally for hostage families in Washington. "We’ve been with them, and we’re just so happy that finally they can hold their children."

Omer Neutra was a 21-year-old New York native who worked as a tank platoon commander for the IDF after he emigrated to Israel. He was believed to have been captured alive and taken hostage on Oct. 7, but last month, Israel’s military said that he was actually killed that day and that his body taken into Gaza. 

At the rally, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Israeli American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, expressed his gratitude to President-elect Donald Trump, whom some have credited with pushing the ceasefire deal over the line.

"We are just filled with gratitude for the work you have done and your willingness to have your team work shoulder to shoulder with the Biden team in recent weeks," he said.

His son Sagui Dekel-Chen was kidnapped on Oct. 7 from kibbutz Nir Oz, where he grew up and was living with his wife, Avital, and their two small daughters, Bar and Galit. A third daughter, Shachar, was born two months after he was captured. He is expected to be released in the coming weeks as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

Moran Stela Yanai, a former hostage whom Hamas freed in November 2023 after 54 days in captivity, described the first three Israeli hostages released from Gaza during the first phase of the truce as “the biggest heroes that I will ever meet in my life.”

“If you have that amount of power to survive another day and another day, then you must be the strongest person,” Yanai, 41, told NBC News at a rally in Tel Aviv yesterday, adding that those still in captivity felt like a part of her “personal journey.”

Yanai said that during her time in captivity, she was kept in an apartment on the sixth floor, where she lost some of her hearing because of the constant explosions. She also walks with a slight limp, having had surgery on her leg for her severe injuries. But the psychological toll of the experience has left her more shaken than anything else: “I think it’s beyond words, and I cannot really describe it.”

The hostages drove past us here at Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv, where they are going to begin the long journey of recovery.

There is a small crowd of onlookers here, a real current of electricity. People have been waiting a long time for this moment.

Boshara Amro has traveled to Beitunia with her family from Hebron after being informed her older sister would be among the Palestinians released from Israeli detention tonight.

Amro, 21, said her 23-year-old sister was arrested more than a year ago and has been held in Israeli detention ever since. She said her family still does not know why she was detained — only that she was being held under administrative detention, whereby she could be detained indefinitely without charge.

Knowing her sister will be released today, she said, “I cannot describe my feelings.” Her family gathered around a table set up outside not far from Ofer Prison, where they shared a meal as they waited for Amro’s sister to be freed.

Amro said she struggled to think about what her sister might be going through during her time in detention. She said the family has not been able to visit or speak with her since she was detained.

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has condemned the ceasefire deal that allowed three Hamas hostages to be released today, although he said he was “happy and excited” for the freed women.

Ben-Gvir, who resigned from the coalition government today, has said that instead of agreeing to the deal, Israel’s military should continue the war against Hamas while stopping the transfer of humanitarian aid and fuel, electricity and water to Gaza.

Ben Gvir said on X that he awaits the return of the remaining hostages through “force, cutting off fuel, stopping humanitarian aid, and not through surrender.”

A group of Palestinians in Beitunia have gathered to sing and clap around a fire as they wait for the release of 90 prisoners from nearby Ofer Prison.

Israeli authorities have told people not to celebrate, but a festive atmosphere has endured as the ceasefire begins and Israel and Hamas exchange prisoners and hostages.

The three freed Israeli hostages have arrived at Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, for medical treatment after 15 months in Hamas captivity.

The mother of British Israeli released hostage Emily Damari has shared a photo of the two hugging while on a video call with other family members.

“After 471 days Emily is finally home,” Mandy Damari said in a statement released through the Hostages Families Forum.

“I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name," she added. "In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”

“While Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over, for too many other families the impossible wait continues. Every last hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to the hostages who are still waiting to come home.”

Three Israeli hostages abducted during the 2023 terrorist attacks were reunited with their mothers after more than 15 months in captivity in Gaza.

They are all young women: Doron Steinbrecher, 31, taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, 2023, a veterinary nurse; Romi Gonen, 24, taken from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7; and Emily Damari, 28, a British Israeli citizen taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7 and a key figure in the kibbutz’s youth community.

There is a festive atmosphere here in Beitunia in the occupied West Bank, where 90 Palestinians are expected to be released from nearby Ofer Prison shortly.

The atmosphere is notable because people have been told not to celebrate.

We expect 69 women and 21 children to be among those released. So many of them have been held in administrative detention, which means they have not been charged or tried.

We spoke to one woman who did time with other women; she said she had been held for three months for taking part in a protest. Other women were arrested for Facebook posts critical of Israel and will be released here tonight, she added.

We expect, potentially any minute now, to start hearing the roar of the rotor blades as an Israeli military helicopter arrives carrying the three women to the Sheba Medical Center.

The authorities have erected plastic sheeting at this hospital to protect the privacy of the women, who have been through 471 days of captivity.

It is the first step in what is going to be a very long journey. It does appear one of the hostages, Emily Damari, suffered some kind of wound to her hand, according to a photograph her family posted on social media. It looks like she may have been missing some fingers from injuries suffered on Oct. 7.

We expect that this is going to be a long stay. The hostages released back in November 2023 had been in Gaza for 50 days. These women have been in for nearly 500.

The IDF has released a video it says shows the moment the Red Cross transferred three freed Hamas hostages to the Israeli military.

In the video, a white Red Cross vehicle pulls up alongside a number of people in olive military uniforms. The three women then step out of the car, smiling, and speak briefly with Israeli military personnel.

Romi Gonen, wearing a dark blue sweatsuit and a white turtleneck, embraces one of the soldiers before the trio continue their journey in another vehicle.

Hamas had earlier transferred the hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, the first step of their release after 15 months in captivity. 

Hospital volunteer Michal Silver, 19, sat in the waiting room next to the children’s emergency room, playing cards with a 4-year-old patient who was waiting for tests.

She shuffled cards and laid them out on a plastic table for the small girl just as if it were a normal evening, even though she understood that she was sitting on the edge of a moment the entire nation had been waiting for for almost 15 months.

Silver is waiting for Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, who were heading to the Sheba Medical Center after having been freed by Hamas in Gaza.

“I am really excited. I keep thinking, ‘When are they coming?’” Silver said, looking over her shoulder for a moment at the sliding doors behind her. “I literally come here every day, and now the hostages are also coming.”

Next to her, patients sat quietly on plastic chairs. A baby cried as it were any other evening.

Among those waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees is Luisa Morgantini, a former member of the European Parliament.

Morgantini, from Italy, said she wanted to be here to show her support for the Palestinian women and children being released from Israeli custody today.

Standing near Ofer Prison in Beitunia, she called administrative detention a “crime against humanity” and lambasted Israel’s practice of detaining Palestinians without charge.

It was not immediately clear how many of the people being released today have been sentenced or charged.

Dozens of reporters from Israel and around the world gathered at the children’s wing of Sheba Medical Center tonight to wait for the arrival of the three freed hostages: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher.

Israel police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne told NBC News that the hostages would arrive in a helicopter from Kibbutz Re'im, where they were first welcomed back to Israel. 

Cameras were stationed by the hospital entrance in hope of catching a brief glimpse of the ambulances as they pass by before they stop at the door.

Other reporters are stationed in a side corridor, where news networks have set up temporary studios and the hospital director is expected to speak after the hostages arrive.

Displaced Palestinians cheered as they return to Rafah by foot, motorcycle and donkey-driven cart during the delay before the ceasefire took effect.

“To Rafah, to Rafah, inside in Gaza,” a boy exclaimed as his group passed by rubble to get to the enclave’s southernmost city. 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire and hostage release while calling for greater access to aid in Gaza.

“We stand ready to support this implementation & scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer,” he said today on X.

“It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security & political obstacles to delivering aid.”

The IDF has released video it says shows the moment the three released hostages crossed into Israeli territory after they were released by Hamas.

The video shows an armored vehicle passing through what appears to be the tall border fence that separates Israel and the enclave, followed by a convoy of vehicles.

After they pass through the fence, 11 vehicles drive along a dirt track in the darkness, one of them with a large Israeli flag attached to the trunk.

A drone video shot, by NBC News’ team in Gaza's Rafah shows civilians returning to the city as well as the scale of the devastation caused by 15 months of Israeli bombing.

The video captured the scale of the devastation caused by Israeli bombing, with destroyed buildings stretching from the roadsides to the horizon.

Keith Siegel, 65, will be the first American hostage to be released, with Hamas due to set him free on Day 14 of the ceasefire, two senior U.S. officials told NBC News.

Soon afterward, Hamas will release Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, who is injured, the officials said. The five other Americans, alive and dead, will not be released until Phase 2 of the complex three-stage process. The only one believed to still be alive is Egan Alexander, 20, who is of military age, and his condition is not known.

Siegel, originally of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was seized from the Kfar Aza kibbutz. He was last seen in a video Hamas released in April. In the video, Siegel, an occupational therapist, spoke directly to his family to say he was doing OK. 

Biden celebrated that the ceasefire deal brokered by the U.S. has "finally come to fruition" shortly after Hamas handed over the first three female hostages.

"The ceasefire has gone into effect in Gaza," he told reporters in South Carolina. "After so much pain, destruction, loss of life, today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent."

Biden said four more women will be released in seven days, followed by three more hostages every seven days thereafter, including at least two American citizens.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office welcomed the release of the three hostages by Hamas today.

"The Israeli government embraces the three returns," it said in a statement. "Their families were informed by the appointed officials that they joined our forces."

The statement went on to say that the government was committed to the return of all abductees and missing people.

Videos given to NBC News from Gaza’s Al-Saraya Square show a white car with Red Cross insignia on the hood flanked by armed militants in camouflage gear, face coverings and green head bands.

More scenes from the hostage handover location show men shouting as large crowds of civilians line up to witness the Red Cross vehicles, believed to be carrying the three Israeli hostages, driving through the square. Nearby, civilians standing on top of a destroyed billboard to catch a glimpse of the moment in Gaza’s largest square. 

UNICEF trucks carrying water, hygiene kits, and food were seen entering the Gaza Strip as the ceasefire deal began earlier today, according to a post by the U.N. agency on X. Images showed trucks loaded with supplies lined up along the besieged territory.

"A ceasefire agreement is a critical first step, but it must be upheld. Parties to conflict must ensure safe, unimpeded access for aid to reach every child," UNICEF added.

BEITUNIA, West Bank — Small crowds of Palestinians gathered outside Israel's Ofer Prison as they waited for the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israeli forces as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Some huddled around small fires along the road near the prison as they waited for loved ones or simply watched for news.

At least 90 prisoners and detainees are expected to be released today, all of them women and children, according to a joint statement from the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club and the Prisoners’ Media Office.

A total of 69 women and 21 children are expected to be released according to the media office, with 76 people being from the occupied West Bank. The IDF has said it will have a ramped up presence in the West Bank amid the release.

The three hostages have crossed from Gaza into Israel where they will undergo a medical assessment at a reception point, the IDF said.

A video released by the IDF shows their mothers watching their return and awaiting them there. 

Video released by the Israeli military has showed the mothers of the three young female hostages released today by Hamas — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher — waiting for their daughters.

The three are being flown to Tel Aviv to undergo medical examinations.

The transer of the women took place in Gaza, where there was a strong contingent of Hamas militants who arrived masked and armed. The Red Cross received them and brought them to the awaiting Israeli military.

The Red Cross has transferred three Israeli hostages to Israeli custody, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency says.

The three are heading toward Israeli military positions in the Gaza Strip.  

Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square cheered and clapped as the news came in that the first hostages had been transferred into Red Cross custody.

The Hostage Families forum earlier said that thousands of people had gathered in the square for a collective viewing alongside the families of the hostages.

People gather in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square to watch a live feed ahead of a hostage release that is part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement began between Israel and Hamas on Sunday.

The three hostages have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, the first step in their release after 15 months in captivity, according to NBC News’ crew in Gaza.

The Red Cross is collecting Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher from their Hamas captors, where they will then driven through Gaza and transferred to the care of the Israel Defense Forces. They will be taken into Israel, then to Sheba Medical Center for medical checks and treatment, according to Israel’s Ministry of Health.

The Israel Defense Forces released images of Air Force helicopters prepared to receive the hostages from Gaza later today. One image posted on X showed long rows of seats inside with blankets and other supplies.

Israel is set to release 69 women and 21 child prisoners as part of the exchange for three Israeli hostages today, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ media office.

"The list includes 76 prisoners from the West Bank and 14 from occupied Jerusalem," it said.

The ceasefire agreement stipulates that 30 Palestinian prisoners will be freed for every Israeli hostage released, 50 if the hostage is a soldier.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said today that he is "hopeful" the ceasefire agreement will hold, but cautioned that Hamas is "not known to keep their word."

"If Hamas breaks the ceasefire, they need to know the United States will stand with our ally, Israel," Johnson said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "And Israel will have to eradicate that threat. It's very important for the stability of the region."

Johnson added that he would also like to see the next round of released hostages to include Americans who have been held, and the ultimate goal is to prevent another Oct. 7 attack.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar told reporters that “there is no future of peace, stability, and security for both sides if Hamas stays in power in Gaza Strip.”

Sa’ar's comments came during a three-hour delay to the long-awaited ceasefire in the Gaza Strip earlier this morning.

President-elect Donald Trump has celebrated the release of the first three hostages due to be released by Hamas today.

"Hostages starting to come out today!" he wrote on Truth Social. "Three wonderful young women will be first."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received the plan for post-ceasefire recovery in Gaza, focusing on the first six months of the response, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Mustafa said the plan emphasizes cooperation with aid organizations and U.N. bodies, saying international support is necessary given the scale of destruction in Gaza.

Early steps of the recovery plan involve coordinating the delivery of aid, clearing rubble from main roads and institutions like hospitals, and re-establishing basic services like water, electricity, communication and sanitation in populated areas. The plan also looks to establish temporary housing for Gazans whose homes were destroyed and continue education for children. 

NBC News video showed several armed Hamas militants on top of vehicles driving through crowds and celebrating the ceasefire deal after a three-hour delay. Israel delayed the ceasefire after it said Hamas had failed to produce the names of the first three hostages to be released.

Video and social media posts are showing International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles apparently on their way to pick up the Hamas three hostages.

We’re not expecting to hear any official comment from the Red Cross, who said they will not be commenting on operations. But things seem to be going according to schedule, after a week in which nothing has gone according to schedule. Things have been changing every hour.

In this case, Israeli officials have said that the hostages would not be released before 4 p.m. local time, and the reports of the Red Cross heading to pick up the hostages emerged just after 4 p.m.

The Israel Defense Forces have announced that operations in the occupied West Bank have been reinforced with additional combat soldiers for defensive and offensive operations. The move is part of the ceasefire agreement and Israel’s preparation for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The IDF says the troops will help establish additional checkpoints to thwart what it calls “terrorist activity and violent riots.” The ceasefire agreement stipulates that 30 Palestinian prisoners will be freed for every Israeli hostage released.

Displaced Palestinians carried belongings as they walked through the devastation in Rafah, in southern Gaza, today after the ceasefire took effect.

Hamas has begun deploying thousands of Palestinian police officers in the Gaza Strip as it reopens offices and streets following the ceasefire deal, according to a statement released by the government's media office this morning.

"We announce the beginning of deploying thousands of Palestinian police officers according to the government plan to maintain security and order in various governorates of the Gaza Strip, and municipalities have also begun to reopen and rehabilitate streets shortly after the ceasefire decision came into effect," the office stated.

It added that Palestinian ministries and government institutions were "fully prepared" to begin working according to the government plan to implement all measures that "ensure the return of life to normal as soon as possible and gradually."

The first trucks with aid from the World Food Programme have started crossing into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, carrying ready-to-eat parcels and wheat flour, the U.N. agency announced in a post on X.

The organization says it can provide more than 30,000 tons of food each month to reach more than 1 million people, and aims to deliver food daily along the crossing points into Gaza from Egypt, Jordan and Israel.

The WFP called for all border crossings to remain open and function efficiently.

Jabalia, in northern Gaza, is one of the enclave's historical refugee camps and had been under heavy Israeli bombardment in recent weeks.

After today's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to the mediators of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. He said he hopes the hostages can finally return home and embrace their loved ones, and called for large quantities of aid to quickly reach the Gazans “who so urgently need it.”

He expressed hope for further dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, saying “I hope that the political authorities of both, with the help of the international community, can reach the right solution for the two states. Everyone can say: yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace. And let us pray for this: for dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”

Israel is expected to hand over the names of 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including women and children, who are set to be released today as part of the ceasefire agreement, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said in a statement.

The 90 names will come from a pre-agreed list of 120 prisoners, with the ceasefire agreement stipulating that 30 Palestinian prisoners will be released for every one Israeli hostage. Three hostages are expected to be released today. 

Large plumes of smoke were seen over northern and central Gaza after the expected start of the ceasefire was delayed for nearly three hours, but is now in effect.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right Israeli national security minister, resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government today in protest of the ceasefire agreement and hostage exchange.

The resignation represents a significant blow to Netanyahu, who relied on Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit Party to maintain his fragile coalition government. Two other two ministers from the Otzma Yehudit Party, Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu, also tendered their resignations along with Ben-Gvir.

“A word is a word, we will not agree to a reckless deal. My friends in Otzma Yehudit and I submitted our resignation letters from the government and the coalition this morning,” Ben-Gvir posted on X today.

Hamas has released the names of three hostages, all young women, who will be released today in the first part of the ceasefire agreement.

The Hostages Families Forum has released details on the three women, and said the organization “awaits their safe return to Israel to be reunited with their families after 471 days in Hamas captivity.” 

Doron Steinbrecher, named by Hamas as Doron Shtanbar Khair, age 31, was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7. She works as a veterinary nurse, has two siblings, and loves sports and running. She is described as a devoted aunt who loves her nephews.

Romi Gonen, age 24, was taken from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7. She has four siblings, and friends and family say she is energetic, funny, family-oriented, and full of life, according to the Hostages Families Forum.

Emily Damari, age 28, is a British-Israeli citizen who was also taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7., along with her friends Gali and Ziv Berman and Doron Steinbrecher. Her friends describe as a key figure in the kibbutz’s youth community and a lover of barbecuing, karaoke and hats.

The Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, is prepared to receive the three hostages expected to be released from Gaza today, the facility said in a statement.

The medical center said it was "committed to preserving the dignity and privacy of the returning captives and their families."

The Israeli military confirmed to NBC News it has halted military operations in Gaza under the ceasefire deal.

Asked to confirm whether military operations in Gaza had halted and whether a ceasefire was underway in the enclave, the IDF's situation room said "yes."

Israel had said the ceasefire was expected to come into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET) after an hourslong delay, but did not make an announcement at that time. Asked to confirm that a ceasefire was underway after 11:15 a.m., a spokesman for Netanyahu reiterated the expected start time.

At least 19 people were reported to have been killed and more than 36 injured in Gaza today after the ceasefire expected to go into effect this morning was delayed, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said.

At least nine deaths were reported in Gaza City and three deaths reported in the enclave’s north, Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said in a statement published to Telegram.

Since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced Wednesday, fighting in Gaza and a series of deadly airstrikes have killed more than 115 people.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that attacks by Israeli forces this morning had injured one EMT, Maha Wafi, who was en route to evacuate the wounded in central Khan Younis. A PRCS ambulance was also reportedly damaged.

PRCS posted on X that its team at the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City had been at risk when the hospital came under attack by Israeli forces.

Israel's military continued attacks on Gaza after Israeli officials had delayed the ceasefire's original start time of 8:30 a.m. Israel said that the ceasefire would begin about three hours later, but it is unclear whether military operations had stopped by 11:15 a.m. as announced.

At least 95 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Kerem Shalom crossing this morning, according to the Cairo Press Center.

The trucks were being examined by Israeli authorities, and it is unclear how many trucks were allowed entry into Gaza.

Palestinians in Gaza could be seen moving en masse across the enclave this morning in video captured by NBC News’ crew on the ground, appearing to be unaware that today's expected ceasefire had been delayed.

In video captured by NBC News’ crew, large crowds of families could be seen moving to the area of Rafah in southern Gaza mostly on foot, with one family riding on a cart pulled by a donkey. “To Rafah, to Rafah, inside, in Gaza," a smiling young boy exclaims as he steers the cart.

Many appeared to be unaware that the ceasefire had in fact been delayed, with Israel saying it would not move forward until it had received the names of the three hostages expected to be released today. It later announced it had received the names but was still running checks on the information.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it was continuing to strike parts of the enclave, with Gaza's Civil Defense agency reporting at least 19 people killed since 8:30 a.m., when the ceasefire had originally been expected to get underway.

The first three female hostages to be released under the ceasefire deal are expected to be freed from Hamas captivity after 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) Israel has said.

The families of the hostages held in Gaza were updated with list of three names provided by Hamas to Israel this morning via mediators, the Coordinator for Hostages, Returnees, and Missing Persons in Netanyahu's office said in a statement this morning.

Four additional living hostages are expected to be released in seven days, the statement said, adding that their families would be informed of the names of those to be released 24 hours prior to that date.

The first phase of the ceasefire deal will come into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. ET), Netanyahu's office has said.

It comes after a delay to the ceasefire, which was initially scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET), with Israel attributing the delay to Hamas' failure to provide a list of the names of the three hostages expected to be released today.

Hamas attributed the delay to "technical" difficulties on the ground, but said it had provided the list to mediators earlier this morning. Israel confirmed it had received the list shortly afterward but said it still needed to perform checks before the ceasefire could get underway.

Israel has received the list of the three female hostages expected to be released by Hamas today, but is still "checking the details" before a ceasefire can move forward, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has said.

Netanyahu's office said the families of the hostages named on the list had been informed through representatives of the IDF. But it urged caution in reporting the details of the list, saying "the security system is currently checking the details."

It said more information would follow.

Israel has now received the names of the three female hostages who are due to be released first by Hamas, an official has confirmed.

They are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, the official said. All three are civilians.

Hamas’ military spokesman listed the same names in a public statement earlier this morning.

Hamas has provided the list of the three hostages who were expected to be released today to mediators, but the list has yet to be received by the Israeli side, an Israeli official told NBC News.

It is not clear when the list is expected to be provided to Israel. Israeli officials have said a ceasefire will not take place until they have the list.

Hamas confirmed it handed the list over to mediators.

Hamas has released the names of the three female hostages expected to be released in today’s ceasefire once it takes effect.

They are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, according to Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military arm, in a statement published on Telegram just now.

Israeli officials have yet to confirm that the list has been received, with Netanyahu spokesman David Mencer telling NBC News there was “nothing to confirm officially at this time” ahead of Hamas’ statement.

Israel announced that the ceasefire expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET) today had been delayed after saying the list of the three names of the first hostages to be released had not been received from Hamas.

At least ten people were reported to have been killed in Gaza in the hour after the ceasefire expected to go into effect this morning was delayed, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said.

At least five deaths were reported in Gaza City with three deaths reported in the enclave’s north, with more than 25 people injured, Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said in a statement published to Telegram this morning.

He said that death toll had been recorded between the time the ceasefire was expected to be “implemented” at around 8:30 a.m. this morning local time (1:30 a.m. ET) and 9:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET.)

It came as the IDF said it continued to strike parts of Gaza in northern and central areas of the enclave under the delay in the ceasefire taking effect.

It was not immediately clear how many Palestinians in Gaza would have been aware of the delay, with a limited lack of access to the internet and cell service under Israel’s offensive. NBC News’ crew on the ground reported that many Palestinians had begun looking to move north after the time the ceasefire was expected to go into effect.

Several people were killed and injured by Israeli forces as the fighting in Gaza continued shortly after Israel announced a delay in implementing a ceasefire.

NBC News crews on the ground saw at least three people dead and dozens injured at a hospital in Gaza City, and received reports of shooting and injuries in Rafah, in the enclave’s south.

Earlier, thousands of people had begun returning to areas of the Gaza Strip, including Rafah and Jabalia, in anticipation of the ceasefire and expected withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Hundreds of trucks to be used to bring aid into Gaza were seen heading toward border crossings this morning, shortly after Israeli officials said the ceasefire was delayed.

NBC News crews saw the trucks going toward the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel and the Rafah crossing with Egypt this morning. 

A surge in humanitarian aid is a key part of the agreement, and it is unclear how the delay in the ceasefire will affect the entry of aid into Gaza today.

Just minutes after announcing that a ceasefire deal with Hamas was delayed, Israel said it had continued striking targets in Gaza.

The strikes by artillery and aircraft were carried out in northern and central Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

“The IDF remains ready in defense and offense and will not allow any harm to the citizens of Israel,” it said.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was delayed from going into effect Sunday morning in the Gaza Strip after Israeli officials said Hamas had yet to provide a list of names of the hostages it planned to release under the truce deal agreed days ago.

The ceasefire deal was expected to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET). But Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in an on-camera statement around that time that under the directive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the ceasefire would not take effect “as long as Hamas fails to fulfill its commitments.”

“The IDF continues its operations inside the Gaza area at this moment, as long as Hamas does not adhere to the agreement and with all that it entails,” he said.

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the nation’s armed forces that the 8:30 a.m. Sunday local time (1:30 a.m. ET) start of the ceasefire will not begin as scheduled until Israel gets a list of hostages to be freed under the deal with Hamas militants.

After a “security situation assessment” focused on the delay by Hamas to provide a list of hostages, Netanyahu ordered Israel Defense Forces to forgo the ceasefire for the time being, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office released the morning the plan was to go into effect.

“The Prime Minister instructed the IDF that the ceasefire, which is supposed to go into effect at 8:30, will not begin until Israel has the list of freed hostages, which Hamas has pledged to provide,” the office said.

On Sunday, Hamas blamed the delay on “technical reasons in the field,” and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire. It would come more than two years after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel and the latter’s response in the form of all-out war on the militant group in neighboring Gaza.

The long-awaited ceasefire, desired by the administration of President Joe Biden as he bids farewell to the White House this weekend, was approved by the Israeli government just after midnight on Saturday.

Two Israeli Americans are among the 33 Israeli hostages who were scheduled to be released from Gaza on Sunday as part of the ceasefire agreement.