section_path: Ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchanges/First exchange (19–20 January)
section_name: First exchange (19–20 January)
paragraph_text: First exchange (19–20 January)
  
  On 19 January Hamas transferred three female hostages to the Red Cross: Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher; the Red Cross brought them to Israeli positions in Gaza. In return, the next day, Israel released 69 women and 21 children to the West Bank and Jerusalem. The Palestinian women and children reported being starved by the Israeli Prison Service; one woman had lost 14 kg while in prison. Israel said that all of the 90 Palestinians were "terrorists". Many of the Palestinians had been neither tried nor convicted. Some of the Palestinians had been arrested for making pro-Palestinians social media posts, or taking part in pro-Palestinian protests. The Palestinians said they were hostages just like the Israeli women, as they had been arrested by Israel after the October 7 attacks, without any credible charges, apparently for the purpose of being used in a prisoner exchange with Hamas. Multiple released Palestinian women said they were tortured in prison; the Israeli Prison Service denied allegations of torturing Palestinians.
  
  The release of Israelis was codenamed Operation "Wings of Freedom" by the IDF. Afterward, following the agreement, hundreds of aid trucks carrying food and fuel entered the Gaza Strip through Israel and Egypt.