Two buses from the International Committee of the Red Cross transport 76 Palestinians, nearly all women, following the handover of three Israeli hostages

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A shooting attack on a bus carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank killed at least three people and wounded seven others on Monday, Israeli medics said. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said those killed included two women in their 60s and a man in his 40s.

Violence has escalated in the occupied territory over the last year and a half, as Israel conducts raids targeting armed fighters with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and its 200,000 Jewish residents, the West Bank is home to around 490,000 Israelis in settlements considered illegal under international law

The Palestinian government is prepared to manage Gaza and the West Bank, seeking EU and Egypt's collaboration for humanitarian aid and security.

The 90 Palestinian prisoners that were in Israeli custody have been released, an Israeli prison service spokesperson said in a statement early Monday morning local time – about 80 minutes past the conclusion of Day 1 of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.

One of the Israeli hostages freed on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire said Monday in her first comments since being released that she has “returned to life.”

In a pre-recorded speech delivered through Hamas’s outlets, Al-Jazeera, spokesperson Abu Obeida also lauded Iran and its proxies and warned against attempts to integrate Israel in the region.

Hezbollah, one of Lebanon's most powerful political players, has been significantly weakened by its conflict with Israel.

Sunday’s delayed start to the truce was a minor problem compared with the difficult choices and American leverage needed to get both parties to the second phase, which could end the war.

After 15 months of war, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday morning.