For the first time in 471 days, Palestinian doctors in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip reported no casualties from Israeli military operations on Monday as the situation remained tense. ceasefire between Hamas and Israel settled. CBS News crews in Israel, Gaza and the occupied West Bank saw more joy, or at least relief, than had been painted on residents' faces in 15 months.

The truce came into force on Sunday after an initial three-hour delay, during which another 20 Palestinians were killed, according to medics, in the devastated Palestinian territory.

Under the terms of the deal, which the US helped broker along with Qatar and Egypt, three Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Sunday after a ceasefire Just after midnight local time, 90 Palestinian prisoners were released from an Israeli prison in the occupied West Bank.

After more than a year of devastating war that erupted after a brutal Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, in which militants killed nearly 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 others, Gazans heard the sound of children playing on Monday instead of the thunder of a fighter. : planes and airstrikes, noted UNRWA chief Philip Lazarini. statement published on social networks.

“Our teams reported a good first day of the ceasefire,” he said, adding that aid and some commercial supplies began flowing smoothly into Gaza on Sunday, along with the mutual release of hostages and prisoners, another key component of the ceasefire deal. It is estimated that at least 600 passenger trucks a day enter Gaza, carrying everything from much-needed food and medicine to fuel for generators.

“The ceasefire must continue to be observed, and all elements of the agreement must be implemented,” Lazzarini said. “It is a step in the right direction towards lasting peace and stability for all.”

Palestinians want to return to destroyed homes in Gaza

The reconstruction of Gaza will be an incredibly long and costly process, and is only expected to begin in earnest during the third and final phase. three-phase ceasefire agreementwhich, assuming the deal remains intact, could be several months, however, the Hamas-run Gaza City Municipality said statement On Monday, at least the main roads that were closed during the war began to be cleared.

That will help as tens of thousands of displaced civilians head back to their towns and villages beyond the enclave, assess the damage to their homes and try to use whatever they can salvage from the rubble.

Thousands of families have started walking or pulling carts from the Gaza IDP camps to the devastated towns and cities of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanu in the northern Gaza Strip.

They were also returning to the southern city of Rafah, where a CBS News team spoke with a girl wearing a dress emblazoned with the Palestinian flag.

“This is the moment that all citizens of Gaza have been waiting for,” he said. “Thank God the war is over… Time to celebrate after enduring the pain. Time to rebuild after all the destruction. The children of Gaza are charting a new future.”

Civil defense rescue teams continued to pull out the mutilated bodies of dozens of people killed in the war, both from the rubble of destroyed buildings and from the streets.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday that hospitals across the enclave had received the bodies of 122 people who had recovered since the cease-fire took effect, including 62 from the rubble, bringing the total toll since the war began in Gaza. put the number at 47,035.The ministry did not distinguish between militant and civilian casualties, but said the vast majority of those killed were peaceful. residents, including tens of thousands of women and children.

Happy reunions for 3 Israeli families, hope for dozens more

A Red Cross convoy heading into Gaza City on Sunday was the first sign that Hamas was keeping its end of the deal, but the hostage handover was chaotic. Heavily armed Hamas fighters surrounded and climbed over the vehicles, a clear display of strength and resilience after more than a year of war against Israel's vastly outgunned army.

But soon the world, and desperate families back home, got their first glimpse of the three freed women as they wove between cars and toward freedom.

Romi Gonen, 24, Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Emily Damari, 28, were finally on their way back to the eager arms of their loved ones after being held hostage by Hamas for 15 months lost two fingers in the October 7 attack when he was kidnapped, all of them reunited with their mothers upon arrival in Israel.

“Yesterday I finally got to hold Emily in the hug I dreamed of,” Damari's mother, Mandy, said in a statement released Monday. “I'm relieved to report that after her release, Emily is doing much better than any of us could have ever expected… In Emily's own words, she's the happiest girl in the world, she's got her life back.”

Even in her moment of intense joy, Mandy Damari stressed that other families were still waiting to share in the joy.

“It should also be remembered that 94 more hostages still remain,” he said. “The ceasefire must continue and every last hostage must be returned to their families.”

Hundreds of Israelis watching from Tel Aviv's Hostage Square also shared in the joy Sunday night, including some whose relatives could not or had not yet made it out of Hamas captivity.

Gil Diekman's cousin, Carmel Gett, was among those abducted recovered during an Israeli military operation at the beginning of September. Still, Dickman has regularly participated in hostage demonstrations calling for the return of dozens of others.He told CBS News that when he saw the women get out of the cars on Sunday, he couldn't even believe it.

“My God, that's them,” he said to himself. “All the people in the world should have this joy, the people coming home alive. It's the happiest thing you'll ever experience.”

Celebrations for the release of Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank

There was also jubilation and celebration in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday evening when 90 Palestinian detainees, mostly women, were released in exchange for freed hostages.

“They treated us like animals,” said 18-year-old Rose Quis.

“I left hell and now I'm in heaven,” Abdelaziz Atouneh said as he left Israel's Ofer prison outside the Jordan River city of Ramallah.

The released prisoners were greeted with fireworks, whistles and shouts of “God is great” and many were hoisted on the shoulders of the massive crowd outside the prison, many of whom had been waiting all day for their release.

According to a list provided by the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, all those released early Monday were women or teenagers, the youngest as young as 15, for alleged crimes ranging from stone-throwing to attempted murder.

The next hostage exchange in the framework of the ceasefire agreement is scheduled to take place on Saturday, where 4 hostages will be released in exchange for about 120 Palestinian prisoners.

contributed to this report.