itamar ben—gvir says the deal �*rewards hamas'. hello, i'm anna foster in tel aviv. ina in a place which has been known for the last hundreds of days as hostages square. just a way to my right there is a big screen that sits in the square, you can see those red numbers, the count down the number of days the hostages have been in captivity in gaza. you can also just about see israeli tv which has been broadcast on that screen just now, you has been broadcast on that screenjust now, you can has been broadcast on that screen just now, you can see red cross trucks inside gaza, it appears, collecting the first three israeli hostages to

be released under this new ceasefire. so people here are really gathering in the square behind me, the commentary has been turned up on that television screen and people watching... it appears to be a short loop of pictures of it red cross vehicles inside gaza, collecting the first three hostages who have, who are to be released under phase i of this deal. let me tell you a little bit more about them and show you some pictures as well. they are three women who are being released today. doron steinbrecher, romi gonen, and emily damari. doron steinbrecher is a veterinary nurse, she was in her apartment, actually in her home come out when hamas attacked that day. we have seen the pictures of the devastation that was rocked in that kibbutz. she was taken from her coat home. romi gonen, 2a years old, was ambushed as she tried to escape from the supernova festival, she was on the phone to her mum when she was taken by hamas militants had

kidnapped to gaza. emily damari, 28 years old, holds dual british and israeli nationality. she was taken hostage on the 7th of october it from inside the kibitzing. earlier israel continued to carry out strikes in gaza. ten people have been killed today according to a civil defence agency in gaza. thousands of displaced people are clutching all the belongings they have left and they have already started heading back to their homes, often in the more central and northern parts of the strip we have seen images of families. many of them with young children, really thronging the roads and cars and trucks, other people loading what they can onto carts pulled by donkeys. some people are just walking, as you can see, with large bags on their backs, taking their possessions back to see what remains of their homes. we have

also seen images of armed hamas fighters celebrating at the start of that ceasefire. we have seen them driving through the streets of communists chaired by chanting crowds. desh meant streets of khan younis. —— and pulling it back to more secure areas, they will eventually leave it gaza or altogether as part of this deal. it has been an extraordinarily busy day today, and it is not over yet. this pictures i was telling you about mark the start of the release of three israeli hostages, three of 33 who are going to be at released during this part of the deal. joining me now is yaakov katz, senior fellow at thejewish people policy institute, and former editor

in chief of thejerusalem post. i always think it is very useful for people outside israel to know how these moments are such a big part of the israeli consciousness, how the israeli consciousness, how the hostages ended their identities, theirfaces, their stories, have never been far from peoples minds here. you are completely _ from peoples minds here. 7m. are completely right. from peoples minds here. 7m, are completely right. there is not an israeli who does not know the names of the people being released, emily, doron steinbrecher, and a roommate, who have been waiting, i do not think there will be a dry eye in all of israel. this has been a painful a71 days, notjust obviously for the families and hostages themselves, but all of israel has been scarred by what happened on october seven and the fact that 251 people were taken by hamas on that dark day. this is the beginning of what could be a healing process that this nation so desperately needs at this moment.- needs at this moment. let's talk about — needs at this moment. let's talk about that. _ needs at this moment. let's talk about that. there - needs at this moment. let's talk about that. there is - needs at this moment. let's| talk about that. there is still a lot going on domestically,

politically in israel. the ceasefire deal has started but not everybody here is happy about it. it not everybody here is happy about it. , . . , about it. it is crazy when you think about _ about it. it is crazy when you think about it. _ about it. it is crazy when you think about it. this - about it. it is crazy when you think about it. this should i about it. it is crazy when you | think about it. this should be something of a moment of celebration, almost. the fact that finally these people who we have yearned and prayed and cried and hoped for, our tears have poured out, our hearts were all broken, you would expect our government ministers to be celebrating this moment in time. instead are looking at netanyahu's government teetering, it might stay together, but it is now starting to crumble. people aren't resigning, and the finance minister's party for the time being is staying in but if it goes to the second stage of this deal, only 33 being released in the next a2 days, there are still 65 or so who are being held in gaza. they want to see the work continue before the 65 come back, that is a little crazy when you think about what this country and what these people

have been through. the day that we are able to get these people back, these women are alive, they have been waiting for us and we have let them down, now is the time to mark... i don't want to say celebrate with joy, this is a painful moment and we are paying a steep price, but this is a moment that we can say we have done a good thing and we are bringing back a life people and bringing them home to their countries, to their families, to have the future they were being denied in gaza. obviously the events of october seven are seared into everybody�*s minds here, and when that war it was launched in gaza the israeli government said what they were trying to do was make people here safe and secure. at this stage there has been lives lost on the palestinian side, israeli soldiers have lost their lives, it has been a devastating 15 month. do people here in a generalfeel month. do people here in a general feel safer as month. do people here in a generalfeel safer as a month. do people here in a general feel safer as a result of what has happened to hamas

in gaza? it of what has happened to hamas in gaza? , ., , in gaza? it is an interesting oint in gaza? it is an interesting point you — in gaza? it is an interesting point you are _ in gaza? it is an interesting point you are making, - in gaza? it is an interesting i point you are making, israelis are defied by some extent. but we have to realise that from october seven we had lost the war already. when hamas was able to invade our country and massacred 1200 of our people, take 251 more hostages, men, women, children, holocaust survivors, some of them not alive, half of the hostages are presumed to be alive out of the 98 left there. this was a moment where there was not going to be a decisive victory at the likes of which we'd like to watch in movies, or what happened in world war ii. this was always going to be lopsided, the victory that we can take for ourselves is getting these people home, is bringing romi, emily damari, and doron steinbrecher, and bringing all the hostages back home. that is the victory, and i would have hoped we looked at it that way. but there are threats. as you mentioned earlier, hamas is reconstituting. there are still fighters and armed men, they

are celebrating their survival and will still pose a threat to israel in the future. we have to make sure we are together as a united front, the world, the united kingdom and us, to prevent them from being able to reconstitute and recover in and reestablish its governance over gaza. that is just as important for the future of stability here in the region.- for the future of stability here in the region. you talked about the _ here in the region. you talked about the phases _ here in the region. you talked about the phases of _ here in the region. you talked about the phases of this - here in the region. you talked about the phases of this deal, not all the remaining hostages are in that initial 33. we have to get quite a way through this process to try and secure the release of those remaining hostages. so, do you think this agreement will hold? do you think it will go all the way through to phase three? i hope so. butl through to phase three? i hope so. but i have _ through to phase three? i hope so. but i have to _ through to phase three? i hope so. but i have to recognise - so. but i have to recognise there are a lot of things that could go wrong. just over the next a2 days, the way this deal is structured we are getting three today, another three or four next week, every seven daysin four next week, every seven days in little small batches until the final a0 at the end of the a2 days we get the last 12. that is a total of 33. day 16 of this a2 day period, they

are supposed to commence negotiations for the second stage. we all know how much can go wrong. we are also faced against hamas, cynical, barbaric terrorist organisation. they can say one thing today and tomorrow change her mind. they are not a rule of law government like israel. they could decide to just violate the agreement. this is, it concerns everybody, especially the families of the hostages. while we celebrate to mark the great moment that these three are coming home, there is still a long way until all the 98 will be safe and to israel. . ~' , ., all the 98 will be safe and to israel. ., ~ , ., ., , israel. thank you for being with us. — israel. thank you for being with us, i _ israel. thank you for being with us, i appreciate - israel. thank you for being with us, i appreciate your. israel. thank you for being - with us, i appreciate your time here with us in in tel aviv in hostages square. we have been following this developing story all day ever since the moment that