Tel Aviv, Jan 20 (AP) The first three Israeli hostages released as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas cried tears of elation and disbelief in the moments of their initial reunion with their mothers on Israeli soil.

Stepping into a specially prepared reception area in a military base near the Gaza border, Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, each embraced their mother for the first time after more than 15 months.

“My love, you're with me. I'm protecting you. I'm here,” Simona Steinbrecher, Doron's mother, told her daughter upon greeting her, according to footage released by the Israeli army on Monday. The women each were accompanied by smiling female soldiers. At one point after falling into her mother's arms, Gonen calls her father and, fighting through tears, says “Dad! I came back alive!” Later, aboard the helicopter that whisked them to the hospital, Damari held up a whiteboard with the words “The nightmare is over,” while the women wore noise-cancelling headphones.

Middle East must emerge from turbulence with peace and horizon of hope, UN chief says UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief says the Middle East is undergoing a “profound transformation” and has urged all countries to ensure the region emerges from the turbulence with peace and “a horizon of hope grounded in action.” Secretary-General António Guterres told a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council Monday that “a new dawn is rising in Lebanon,” which he just visited. He said it was vital that Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army deploy there as required in the ceasefire agreement.

In Gaza, he urged Israel and Hamas to ensure that their newly agreed deal leads to a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the Oct 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel.

The ceasefire must also lead to four simultaneous actions on the ground, Guterres said.

Unhindered UN access including by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA which Israel is seeking to ban is essential, he said, as well as scaled-up aid deliveries, Palestinians' access to aid, and protection of civilians.

Guterres expressed deep concern about “an existential threat to the integrity and contiguity” of Gaza and the West Bank – key pieces of a future Palestinian state – from Israeli actions and “unabated illegal settlement expansion.” “Senior Israeli officials openly speak of formally annexing all or part of the West Bank in the coming months,” he said. “Any such annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law.” The secretary-general said Syria “stands at a crossroads of history” and told the council, “We cannot let the flame of hope turn into an inferno of chaos.” He stressed the need for a Syrian-led political transition, and “much more significant work in addressing sanctions and designations” especially in light of the country's urgent economic needs.

Qatar pledges aid for Gaza as more trucks cross into the territory DUBAI -- Qatar on Monday announced plans to supply post-ceasefire Gaza with resources via a “land bridge” at Kerem Shalom, on the border between Egypt, Israel and the coastal Palestinian enclave.

After sending 25 fuel trucks to Gaza on Monday, Qatar plans to supply Gaza with 3.3 million gallons (12.5 million litres) of fuel over the next 10 days, its Foreign Ministry said. The fuel is intended to provide basic services and power hospitals and shelters.

Over the course of the 16-month war, the majority of aid has crossed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, although it has intermittently closed amid disagreements over what kind of aid can be allowed into the strip. Israel previously restricted entry of some equipment, arguing it could be used for military purposes by Hamas.

Allowing more aid into Gaza is a central tenet of the ceasefire deal's first phase and will be key to later reconstruction efforts. The deal allows for hundreds of trucks — more than Israel has previously allowed — to deliver aid to Gaza.

Egypt's state-run press centre said Monday that at least 300 aid trucks entered Kerem Shalom and and the Nitzana crossing to the south since the ceasefire took effect, as well as 12 diesel trucks and four gas trucks.

However, some of those trucks have carried food aid labelled for UNRWA, the UN agency that Israel has vowed to ban from operating even as it remains the primary distributor of aid in Gaza.

Truck drivers told The Associated Press that throughout the war, vehicles have been turned back for minor bureaucratic infractions or not having aid properly packaged or wrapped.

“If items are approved, we unload them and head back to Egypt … Some trucks have to drive all the way back with packages they left with that contain expired food aid or that the driver's or truck information is not listed correctly,” driver Hamdy Emad said.

EU announces aid for Syria and countries hosting Syrian refugees ISTANBUL — A top European Union official announced an aid package of 235 million euros ($244 million) for humanitarian needs within Syria and for countries in the region hosting displaced Syrians, especially Turkey.

Speaking alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday during a visit to Ankara after her trip to Syria, Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, said that the situation in Syria was dire, “The needs are dramatically immense. The humanitarian crisis is affecting millions of Syrians, and the EU will continue to work and to alleviate the suffering in response to the basic needs of the people," Lahbib said.

Turkey hosts the world's largest number of refugees, including up to 3 million Syrians.

“Turkey's hospitality for the Syrian refugees has been crucial over the years,” Lahbib said. “Turkey's role is crucial in providing humanitarian corridors for the EU to deliver emergency assistance to Syria." “The region is in geopolitical turmoil, and it would be important for the European Union to work together with Turkey and provide the adequate response by the international community." Hezbollah says Israel did not achieve any of its objectives in Gaza BEIRUT — The militant Hezbollah movement has praised the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as a victory for the Palestinian people, saying Israel did not achieve any of its objectives.

Hezbollah blasted the United States, saying that through its support to Israel, Washington is “a full partner in the crimes and genocide that the enemy committed against the Palestinian people.” Hezbollah said in a statement Monday that it was a partner in the Palestinian “victory,” adding that the Lebanese group opened a front with Israel in which it paid a high price on top of losing its top commanders, including leader Hassan Nasrallah, and thousands of supporters.

Hezbollah said that resistance is the only way to deter Israel that “was not able to achieve any of its goals by force or break the will or steadfastness of the Palestinian people.” It said the killings of thousands of people, including women and children, would be “a mark of disgrace” for the international community that remained silent.

Mother of freed Israeli hostage vows to continue her campaign TEL AVIV — The mother of one of the Israeli hostages freed after 471 days of captivity in Gaza vowed Monday to keep fighting for the return of all the others.

Merav Leshem Gonen's daughter, Romi, 24, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Since then, Leshem Gonen has emerged as one of the loudest voices advocating for the return of the hostages, appearing nearly daily on Israeli news programs and traveling abroad.

“We are in an alternate reality in these hours, shutting out the outside world, a time in which there is nothing but family,” she posted on Facebook on Monday, after reuniting with her daughter Sunday evening near the Gaza border.

All three women released Sunday are expected to stay hospitalized for several days. Officials at the hospital where they were received said their condition was stable.

“It will take me, us, a moment to breathe her in, and to believe this reality that we have brought about together,” Leshem Gonen wrote, adding, “I promise I'll be back.” (AP) SCY SCY