Hamas Releases Second Group of 17 Hostages After Israel’s Deadline
Thirteen Israeli and four Thai nationals who were held captive by Hamas have been released and arrived in Israel on Sunday. They are now set to be reunited with their families as part of a crucial hostage deal. This deal briefly risked falling apart due to a dispute over aid supplies, but was resolved with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. However, this dispute highlighted the fragility of the agreement, which aims to exchange a total of 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners over four days.
Television footage showed the hostages on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing after leaving Gaza. Hamas handed over the captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) late on Saturday. Among the 13 Israelis released, six were women and seven were children and teenagers. They are now on their way to hospitals in Israel to reunite with their families, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
In exchange for the Israeli hostages, 39 Palestinian civilians, including 33 minors, were set to be released from Israeli prisons. Al Jazeera TV broadcasted live footage of a Red Cross bus carrying a large number of cheering Palestinian prisoners released from an Israeli prison on its way to Beitunia town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
A Palestinian official familiar with the diplomacy confirmed that Hamas will continue with the four-day truce agreed upon with Israel. This truce marks the first halt in fighting since Hamas fighters carried out a deadly attack in southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the death of 1,200 people and the capture of 240 hostages.
Earlier, there was a risk of derailment in the deal when the armed wing of Hamas announced a delay in the scheduled second round of hostage releases. They demanded that Israel meet all truce conditions, including allowing aid trucks into northern Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan claimed that Israel had failed to deliver the agreed amount of aid to northern Gaza. However, the IDF stated that aid distribution inside Gaza was implemented by the United Nations and international organizations. The United Nations confirmed that 61 trucks of aid were delivered to northern Gaza on Saturday, the largest number since October 7.
Furthermore, the deal faced another challenge as the Al-Qassam Brigades accused Israel of not respecting the terms of the Palestinian prisoner releases. They claimed that the Palestinian detainees were not released based on seniority. The Qatari foreign ministry spokesman stated that there had been significant discussions on prioritizing the releases based on the length of time spent in Israeli prisons.
The successful continuation of the deal required a day of high-stakes diplomacy mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with the involvement of US President Joe Biden, who called the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Israel has stated that the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 per day. It is estimated that up to 100 hostages could eventually be freed.
While the release of hostages brought relief and joy to some families, others still anxiously await the return of their loved ones. Mirit Regev, whose son Itay is still held captive by Hamas, expressed mixed emotions. Among those released was nine-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand, who was initially believed to have been killed.
This development brings a sense of joy for the families of the released hostages, but for Palestinians, it is bittersweet. Israeli police were seen raiding the home of Sawsan Bkeer shortly before her daughter Marah, 24, was released. There is still fear and apprehension among Palestinians as they cautiously navigate the situation.
(Note: This article has been sourced from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff except for the headline.)
