After 15 months of war, a great cheer from deep inside Israel's Re'im military base erupted about an hour after sunset. The hostages were coming home.
Relatives and soldiers jumped for joy, sobbed and embraced as vision of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher being driven over the border from Gaza was beamed onto a screen.
The three hostages were later reunited with their families in a hospital near Tel Aviv as crowds in the Israeli capital celebrated their release.
Nearby, street parties broke out in the West Bank as people waited for Palestinian prisoners and detainees to arrive after being released from Israeli jails as part of the hostage deal. Some had been convicted of serious crimes, others detained without charge.
The celebrations, that extended deep into Sunday night, local time, served as an exclamation point to end day one of a delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that had just hours earlier appeared likely to get derailed.
Eventually, the guns did fall silent in Gaza, but not when they were scheduled to.
The ceasefire was meant to come into effect at 8:30am local time (5:30pm AEDT), but as the deadline approached, Israel accused the militant group of not keeping up its end of the bargain.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Hamas had not provided the names of the hostages it planned to release, and that its attacks in Gaza would continue until that happened.
Hamas claimed "technical difficulties" were behind the delay, but did not provide specifics.
Eventually, about 11:15am local time, the group announced the names, and the bangs stopped, but not before 15 more people had been killed in IDF bombings.
It's estimated more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced by the war, and while some could consider returning home on Sunday as Israel's military began to withdraw, a bleak reality underpinned the relief: many will find nothing is left of their neighbourhoods.
Over the past 15 months, the territory's health ministry says nearly 47,000 people have been killed in IDF attacks.
Hala Shehada, 32, was among those heading north to the Gaza City locale of Sheikh Radwan — somewhere that's been off-limits for civilians since Israel's ground invasion began.
"The world may have failed us, but Gaza has triumphed," she told the ABC.
"We endured. We remained patient. To survive in the face of starvation is a victory in itself."
Zouhair Salah, who was also returning to Gaza City, said he hoped his community could rebuild and that he wanted to live in peace.
"We are happy that the ceasefire took place," he said.
"Despite the incredible destruction, the loss of our homes, our brothers, our beloved ones, our neighbours, the wounded in serious conditions, destruction of all kinds, despite all that, we remain in the north.
"We will remain in our land, Palestine."
Hamas down, but not defeated
As the ceasefire held, armed Hamas militants paraded through the streets of Deir Al-Balah, southern Gaza, cheered on by large crowds.
No longer fearing Israeli soldiers would fire, members of the group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government, were easy to spot for a change, daring to don their distinctive green bandanas in public once more.
Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly declared that the war would only stop when "total victory" over Hamas is achieved, and while the cell has been undeniably weakened over the past 15 months, Sunday's scenes showed it had certainly not been defeated.
By the late afternoon, dozens of militants had gathered at a public square in northern Gaza, as vans carrying the hostages rumbled in.
The three women who were all captured as part of Hamas's surprise attack on October 7, 2023 were handed over and driven away towards Israel, as thousands of people crammed in to the area to jeer and catch a glimpse of the moment.
Ms Gonen, Ms Damari and Ms Steinbrecher were then given to the IDF, who escorted them over the border for medical checks and family reunions 471 days in the making.
Footage released by Israel showed the women's families sobbing as they held them for the first time since October 2023.
Ms Damari's mother, Mandy, was among those waiting.
"While Emily's nightmare in Gaza is over, for too many other families the impossible wait continues," she said in a statement after her daughter's release.
"Every last hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to the hostages who are still waiting to come home."
As part of the complex ceasefire deal, Israel freed about 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from its jails early on Monday morning — most of them women.
After unexplained delays on Sunday, the Israeli prison service said it had released the 69 women and 21 teenage boys after midnight.
Large white buses carrying the detainees exited the gates of Israel’s Ofer prison, just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah, as celebratory fireworks erupted overhead.
Israel detained all of the people on the list for what it said were offences related to Israel’s security, from throwing stones to more serious accusations such as attempted murder.
During the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which is expected to last six weeks, Israel will free 737 Palestinian prisoners from its jails, and a further 1,167 Palestinians detained by the IDF during its ground offensive in Gaza.
While the ceasefire will continue, another round of prisoner and hostage exchanges are not expected until next weekend.
In the meantime, the IDF will continue to withdraw from its positions in Gaza and hundreds of trucks carrying aid have begun to enter the territory.
Sunday sparked celebrations for many Israelis and Palestinians across the region.
But with the ceasefire already looking ropey and much of Gaza razed, they may not continue for long.
