A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Turning now to the Middle East, where there was a chaotic scene of celebration in the West Bank last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Cheering).
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Yeah. Thousands of people greeted busloads of Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed from Israeli jail. That was after three Israeli women hostages held by Hamas were released earlier in the day, and they had emotional reunions with their families. And this is just the start of the first phase of what's being called a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi has been covering the events from Tel Aviv - joins us now. So what was it like being there yesterday?
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Well, after 15 months of grief, everyone was actually nervous it wouldn't happen. But then from the moment the ceasefire did go into effect - almost three hours late - you could feel this collective sigh of relief just blanket the country. It was a day of tears, jubilation, embraces for Israelis seeing the three hostages released, for Palestinians in Gaza who got a respite from the fighting and for those in the West Bank reuniting with their imprisoned relatives.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, and we just heard what it sounded like in that moment. What about the release of Palestinian detainees, which included women and minors, in the West Bank?
AL-SHALCHI: Well, it was bitterly cold there. And families bundled up, waiting for hours, waving Palestinian flags. There was singing. People held balloons. People had also been confused for a long time about when and how the detainees were going to be released. My colleague Kat Lonsdorf was in Ramallah and told us that around 2 in the morning, buses pulled up and dozens of detainees got out. And then the crowd pushed and pulled, chanted, danced, and fireworks decorated the sky.
MARTÍNEZ: And you were in Israel at the hospital earlier, when the three hostages were taken there from Gaza. What did you see there?
AL-SHALCHI: Yeah. So the hostages were Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, all between the ages of 24 and 31. They were brought in on helicopters. Some of their friends were there, and we could hear these shouts of happiness ring in the hospital halls when they saw each other. Emily Cohen spoke on behalf of the Damari family.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
EMILY COHEN: It's been the craziest emotional roller coaster for the families. It's only three of them that have come out, and so it's kind of bittersweet.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So now the ceasefire has held for more than 24 hours. What are you hearing from Palestinians inside Gaza?
AL-SHALCHI: Well, in the morning, when the ceasefire took effect, Palestinians blasted their music from their homes. They cheered, honked their car horns. And then the skies went silent for the first time in months. The past few days have actually been some of the deadliest, with dozens killed in Israeli airstrikes. Also, we know that more than 600 trucks of desperately needed aid rolled into Gaza, according to the United Nations. And as Israeli troops partially withdrew from parts of the north, some displaced Palestinians made their way back to see what was left of their homes. Our producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, spoke with one of them. Here's Thamer al-Aklool.
THAMER AL-AKLOOL: All.
AL-SHALCHI: "It's an unimaginable happiness," he says, "like I stumbled on $1 million." But Hamas was very quick to send a message that it's still in charge of Gaza. We saw videos of Hamas police organizing a distribution, patrolling the streets, and there were massed militants parading in the neighborhoods.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So all this feels like a lot, Hadeel, but what do we expect to happen in the coming days?
AL-SHALCHI: This phase of the ceasefire is six weeks. Another swap is expected on Saturday. Hamas is supposed to release four more hostages. And - but, you know, A, Palestinians in Gaza have suffered so much loss and devastation. Israelis are desperate to start healing from the worst attack on their country. So many people here just want the war to end.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. That's NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. Thank you.
AL-SHALCHI: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
