A new day is dawning in the Middle East, so we will be closing this blog and starting a new one to mark the second day of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.

Thanks for joining us across our 24-hour coverage of the first day.

Here's a quick summary of what happened: 

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced the ceasefire in Gaza would begin at 11:15am, local time (or 8:15pm AEDT). 

• Hours later, three Israeli hostages were released by Hamas and reunited with their families in Tel Aviv.

• In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released from Israeli jails in the West Bank and welcomed by crowds and their families.

• Palestinians in Gaza began returning home to destruction and devastation as they sought out what was left of their houses and neighbourhoods.

• Aid trucks began arriving via two border crossings into Gaza to provide vital food and supplies to the population of 2 million, most of whom are severely food insecure.

You can join me in our new blog here. 

Palestinian journalist Bushra al-Tawil was among the first batch of prisoners to be released.

She was jailed in Israel in March 2024. 

Al-Tawil began her journey at 3am the day before, when she was taken from her prison to another nearer the separation wall. 

There, she was grouped with other inmates awaiting movement.

"The wait was extremely hard. But thank God, we were certain that at any moment we would be released," she said.

Al-Tawil had only learned she would be freed from other inmates who had attended a hearing.

"The lawyers told them the (ceasefire) deal had been announced and was in the implementation phase," said Tawil, whose father is also in an Israeli jail.

"I was worried about him. He is still a prisoner, but I just received good news that he will be released as part of this deal."

Reporting with AFP

Journalist and former Middle East correspondent Nicole Johnston has spoken to the ABC, sharing what she knows about the people released from the Israeli prison in the West Bank.

She said that Palestinian leader Khalida Jarrar was one of the more significant "big figures" released. 

Jarrar is the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

"This is a group defined as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States, but she is seen very differently inside the Palestinian territories, though. She is regarded as a leader, not of the militant wing, but of the political wing." 

Johnston speaks more on Jarrar and the other prisoners here: 

Pro-Palestine supporters have gathered in Greenacre in Sydney's west to celebrate the ceasefire in Gaza. 

Watch here: 

Khalida Jarrar, a former parliamentarian and leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) is among the Palestinian prisoners to be freed. 

ActionAid country director Jamil Sawalmeh told the ABC earlier today the ceasefire was "a sigh of relief for the people of Gaza" who have been "trying to dodge the next missile or the next attack for the past 15 months".

"We are definitely looking forward now to intensify [sic] our humanitarian efforts and work in Gaza to support the people who have been suffering for 15 months, non-stop, deprived from everything, from basic life needs to medical services, to even food and basic supplies," he told News Breakfast's Bridget Brennan.

However, he said Gazans coming to terms with the scale of the destruction as they return to their neighbourhoods will present a new challenge in and of itself.

"Now people will have the space to recognise what happened in Gaza — and this of course is going to open a new world of agony and pain for them," he said.

It's now getting close to 4am in Gaza and Israel as the first night of the ceasefire draws to an end. If you're just joining us, here's a quick summary of the day's events:

• Three Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas and reunited with their families in Tel Aviv
• In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been released from Israeli jails in the West Bank and welcomed by crowds and their families
• Palestinians in Gaza have begun returning home to destruction and devastation as they seek out what is left of their houses and neighbourhoods
• Aid trucks have begun flowing via two border crossings into Gaza to provide vital food and supplies to the population of 2 million, most of whom are severely food insecure

Crowds of people in the West Bank have cheered as more prisoners and detainees reunited with their families as part of the ceasefire and hostage deal. 

The Palestinian cohort, largely made up of women, was released early on Monday morning, local time, and they were met by family members who clapped and cried as they left Red Cross buses.

While 90 Palestinians are returning to their homes in the West Bank following their release from Israeli prisons, Gaza residents have also been making their way back home — but the reception waiting for them is vastly different.

Shadi Jomaa Abu Sheha used the cover of the ceasefire to return to his house in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, on Sunday afternoon.

He found it almost completely destroyed.

"The halting of the bloodshed is an indescribable feeling ... I thank God that I survived this war safely," he said.

"However, when we returned to our homes we found nothing but ruin and destruction. I cannot describe the scene in words.

"I built this house piece by piece, and when I returned to it, I didn't find it as I knew it … I don't see my home. I only see destruction."

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates 92 per cent of all housing in the Gaza Strip has been destroyed or damaged since Israel's bombardment of the territory began, and 1,875,000 people are in need of emergency shelter.

Nine-year-old Ella Elyakim, an Israeli girl who was kidnapped with her sister during the October 7 attack then released the following month as part of a deal between Hamas and Israel, has drawn a picture welcoming home the three freed hostages.

At least one of the women released today was held captive alongside her, according to the Bring Them Home Now campaign, which represents the families and friends of those held hostage by Hamas.

Ella's painting features a message written in Hebrew that says "Welcome home, Doron, Romi and Emily."

A video released by the campaign shows the former hostage writing on a series of posters featuring the young women's pictures — adding the words "is home" below each of their names.