2023-11-26 00:04:18
Time.news – Hamas handed over 17 other hostages to the Red Cross – 13 Israelis and 4 Thais – after a setback that had risked a revocation of the four days of truce in Gaza established between Israel and the Islamist movement to allow prisoner exchanges. In exchange Tel Aviv will free at least 42 more Palestinians. In the previous exchange, Hamas had freed 24 hostages (13 Israelis, ten Thais and one Filipino) and the Jewish state had handed over 39 Palestinians.
Israel has confirmed that the Hamas hostages freed today, on the second day of the truce, are already in the hands of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and are on their way to Egypt, where they will be handed over to the Israeli security services. “According to information received from the Red Cross, the hostages are currently on their way to the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip,” a military spokesperson said.
The exchange had experienced a delay in the afternoon for unclear reasons, defined as “technical” in nature by sources consulted by Time.
After the ceasefire the offensive will resume
The Israeli army will resume the offensive to dismantle Hamas immediately after the ceasefire entered its second day on Saturday, IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said, according to Time reports. “The ceasefire did not happen in this agreement except for the pressure exerted by the IDF. We have no intention, desire or willingness to stop this effort before bringing all the hostages back.”
“We will return – he added – to create enormous pressure to bring back as many prisoners as possible as quickly as possible, every last one. We have a duty to fight and put our lives in danger so that they can return and live in safety in their homes,” Halevi said.
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