Hundreds of aid trucks were beginning to enter Gaza, which was devastated by Israeli airstrikes and shelling in the 15 months after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Smotrich said he has received assurances that Israel will resume the war after the first phase, during which 33 hostages held in Gaza are to return home and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. The second phase, which must still be negotiated, is to work out an end to the war and return of all remaining hostages.

Palestinian prisoners released as part of the exchange expressed mixed emotions, celebrating freedom while mourning the ongoing devastation in Gaza.

Videos released by the Israeli military showed freed hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher being reunited with their mothers at an army center after they were released by Hamas. They were transferred to Sheba Hospital in Israel where they were listed in stable condition.