Hi there,

Democracy Now! marks 29 years of fearless independent journalism this month. Presidents have come, gone and come back again, but Democracy Now! remains, playing the same critical role in our democracy: shining a spotlight on corporate and government abuses of power and raising up the voices of scholars, advocates, scientists, activists, artists and ordinary people working for a more peaceful and just world. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today in honor of our 29th anniversary. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Palestinians Return to Decimated Homes, Israeli Hostages Released as Ceasefire Takes Effect

HeadlineJan 20, 2025

The ceasefire in Gaza has entered its second day. On Sunday, Hamas released three Israeli women who had been held captive for 471 days, since October 7, 2023. All three were reported to be in stable condition as they reunited with their families. Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners — all women and children, the youngest being 15 years old. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, Hamas will release 30 more Israeli captives, and Israel will release 1,890 Palestinians over the next six weeks.

This comes as thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza have begun trying to return home now that Israel’s 15-month bombing campaign has ended. Amal Abu Eita returned to her home in the Jabaliya refugee camp to find nothing but rubble.

Amal Abu Eita: “We will try to close this door and stay here. Where should we go? Where should we go? Our home is gone. Our situation is destroyed. Where can we go? Ten children, where should I go with them in the tents? Where should I go with them on the streets? We are trying to find a piece to shelter in. What is our situation? The same as all Arabs. This is what eases our pain a little, knowing that our situation is like that of the rest of the Arabs.”

The ceasefire went into effect on Sunday after Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal. Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, resigned from Netanyahu’s Cabinet in protest.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top