Chaotic crowds, Hamas gunmen surround Gaza hostage handover

Chaotic scenes enveloped the three hostages from Israel who were handed over to the Red Cross Sunday by masked Hamas militants wearing green headbands in a packed Gaza City square.

A dense crowd of Palestinians had gathered to watch the moment, the first release of hostages seized on October 7, 2023, under the new ceasefire that came into effect on Sunday.

Hamas fighters struggled to hold the crowds back from the convoy of Red Cross SUVs that had arrived at Saraya Square in the west of Gaza City to collect them.

Many of those in the crowd chanted "Allahu Akbar", or "God is greatest" in Arabic.

An AFP journalist on-site said fighters from the Palestinian Islamist movement initially tried to keep the public away from the ICRC cars.

But when another convoy of white vehicles arrived in the square carrying the three women hostages to be handed over, the crowd of several thousand surged forward to surround them.

APFTV footage showed armed and balaclava-wearing Palestinian fighters stationed around the van containing the three women, as others stood on top of it.

The women, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher, were the first to be released under the ceasefire agreement agreed between Israel and Hamas.

In a video released by Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the three women were seen smiling in a car and being presented with "release certificates" and what appeared to be Hamas-branded gift bags.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff wearing red vests briefly exchanged words with Hamas militants in the group's distinctive green headbands, while the Hamas footage showed them signing the release certificates before the women swiftly crossed to the Red Cross SUVs.

"Dozens of armed members of the Al-Qassam Brigades participated in the operation," a Hamas official told AFP.

Around them a vast crowd pulsed, occasionally threatening to overwhelm the fighters protecting the convoy, who had to force people back.

The crowd waved Palestinian and Hamas flags while cheering and whistling. Some clung from the top of large advertising billboards to catch a glimpse of the hostage handover taking place below.

One young man perched on another's shoulders began chanting in tribute to Yahya Sinwar, one of the architects of the October 7 events, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza in October.

Saraya Square, a large plaza built in the 1930s, is one of Gaza's main gathering places and known for its proximity to Hamas government administrative buildings.

At the crucial moment, the three young women left a white van through sliding doors and headed to the Red Cross vehicles that would take them to Israeli forces in the territory.

Long after they had gone, crowds continued to celebrate in front of buildings damaged in the war as the first day of the ceasefire continued to hold.

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