A long-delayed ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war began taking hold as Hamas released three hostages on Sunday in exchange for 90 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The first halt in the war since November 2023 went largely as planned, although it was delayed by about three hours after Hamas failed to provide a list of the hostages it planned to free.
The pause in the devastating war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and created crises in the wider Middle East, followed months of negotiations by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, Qatar and Egypt. A recent push by President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday, was crucial to getting the warring sides to reach an agreement.
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