2023-11-25 19:43:30
On the second day of the truce negotiated between Israel and Hamas, twenty hostages, including 13 Israelis, were released this Saturday evening against 39 Palestinian detainees, shortly before midnight, the deadline for respecting the agreement with Israel. This second group, after the 24 hostages from the day before, was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In the afternoon, their transfer was announced to Khan Younes, in the south of the Gaza Strip, by a Hamas source at AFP, before a wave of uncertainty set in.
Initially, Hamas’ military wing indicated it would delay the release of the second group of hostages until Israel “respect the agreement” entered into force the day before. “After the second group was handed over to the ICRC” hostages, the convoy was “arrested in Khan Younes”, “and was unable to leave for Rafah”the crossing point to Egypt, a source close to Hamas told AFP.
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The Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades demanded in particular “the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the north of the Gaza Strip” and respect for ” selection criteria “ for the release of Palestinian prisoners, according to a press release.
“I dreamed we were going home”
This agreement, concluded by Qatar with the support of the United States and Egypt, provides for four days of truce which should allow the release of 50 hostages, out of the more than 200 held in Gaza, and 150 Palestinian prisoners. This pause in the fighting, renewable and which seemed respected on Saturday, also includes the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza.
On Friday, the first 13 Israeli hostages, women and children, were handed over to the ICRC and returned to Israel via Egypt to reunite with their families. The Islamist movement also released ten Thais and one Filipino, who were not part of the deal.
In return, Israel released 39 Palestinians, women and young people under the age of 19.
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The first 13 Israeli hostages released on Friday included four children, including one aged two, and six women aged over 70. Among them, Aviv and Raz Asher, two and a half and four and a half years old, and their mother Doron, describes AFP. There they are with their father, on the bed of a hospital room. “I dreamed we were going home”said the tallest one. “You see, the dream comes true”, replies the father, Yoni. He repeats the same message. “We are going to our house, very soon we are going back to our house. We came here just for the doctors to examine us and that’s it, we’re going home”.
Israeli authorities have asked the media to respect the privacy of the ex-hostages and their families. And those whose loved ones are still detained by Hamas are waiting in anguish for an end to a nightmare that has lasted for seven weeks.
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