By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was again on monitor Sunday because the militants freed 17 extra hostages, together with 14 Israelis and the primary American, in a 3rd trade beneath a four-day truce that the U.S. stated it hoped could be prolonged. In flip, Israel launched 39 Palestinian prisoners.
Most hostages have been handed over on to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air drive base. Others left by way of Egypt. Israel’s military stated one was airlifted to a hospital, and the director of Soroka Medical Center stated Elma Avraham, 84, was in life-threatening situation as “a result of an extended period of time when an elderly woman was not taken care of as needed.”
The youngest hostage launched was Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old woman and twin Israeli-American citizen whose dad and mom have been killed within the Hamas assault that began the conflict on Oct. 7. “What she endured was unthinkable,” Biden stated of the primary American freed beneath the truce. He didn’t know her situation and didn’t present updates on different American hostages. Biden stated his objective was to increase the cease-fire deal so long as attainable.
In all, 9 youngsters ages 17 and youthful have been on the record, in keeping with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace. Three extra Thai nationals have been launched. Separately, Hamas stated it launched a Russian hostage “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin.” The Russian-Israeli citizen was the primary male hostage to be freed.
The Palestinian prisoners launched have been youngsters and younger males, ages 15-19, largely accused of public dysfunction, property injury and in some instances inflicting or threatening bodily hurt to Israeli officers by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. Many have been scooped up from protests and confrontations with troops. In flip, many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, together with these implicated in assaults, as heroes resisting occupation.
A fourth trade is anticipated on Monday — the final day of the cease-fire throughout which a complete of fifty hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. Most are ladies and minors.
International mediators led by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar are attempting to increase the cease-fire that started Friday.
“We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing,” stated two of Edan’s kinfolk, an excellent aunt and cousin, in a press release thanking mediators.
Hamas for the primary time stated it might search to increase the deal by trying to launch a bigger variety of hostages. Netanyahu issued a press release saying he had spoken to Biden and reiterated his supply to increase the cease-fire by an extra day for each 10 hostages Hamas releases. But he stated Israel would resume its offensive “with all of our might” as soon as the truce expires.
Ahead of the most recent launch, Netanyahu in physique armor visited the Gaza Strip, the place he spoke with troops. “At the end of the day we will return every one,” he stated of the hostages, including that “we are continuing until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” It was not clear the place he went inside Gaza.
This is the primary vital pause in seven weeks of conflict, marked by the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in a long time. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two thirds of them ladies and minors, in keeping with the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The conflict has claimed greater than 1,200 Israelis, largely civilians killed within the preliminary assault.
Hamas’ navy wing launched a video displaying militants handing over the hostages to Red Cross staff and paramedics, with among the balaclava-wearing fighters and hostages waving goodbye to one another.
Families from the southern Israeli city of Kfar Aza embraced, cried, and applauded Sunday on the information that hostages from their city had arrived in Israel. More than 70 members of the kibbutz of round 700 folks have been killed and 18 have been kidnapped.
The freed hostages have largely stayed out of the general public eye. Hospitals stated their bodily situation has largely been good. Little is publicly identified concerning the situations of their captivity.
Merav Raviv, whose three kinfolk have been launched on Friday, stated that they had been fed irregularly and misplaced weight. One reported consuming primarily bread and rice and sleeping on a makeshift mattress of chairs pushed collectively. Hostages generally needed to look ahead to hours to make use of the lavatory, she stated.
Pressure from households has sharpened the dilemma going through Israel’s leaders, who search to eradicate Hamas as a navy and governing energy. Hamas and different militant teams seized round 240 folks throughout the incursion into southern Israel that ignited the conflict. Fifty-eight have been launched, one was freed by Israeli forces and two have been discovered useless inside Gaza.
The pause has given some respite to Gaza’s 2.3 million folks, nonetheless reeling from relentless Israeli bombardment that has pushed three-quarters of the inhabitants from their properties and leveled residential areas. Rocket hearth from Gaza militants into Israel additionally went silent.
War-weary Palestinians in northern Gaza, the place the offensive has targeted, returned to the streets. Entire metropolis blocks in and round Gaza City have been gutted by airstrikes.
But these among the many lots of of 1000’s of Palestinians who fled the north have been turned again by Israeli troops whereas making an attempt to return to test their properties.
“They open fire on anyone approaching from the south,” stated Rami Hazarein, who fled Gaza City.
The Israeli navy has ordered Palestinians to not return to the north or strategy inside a kilometer (round a half-mile) of the border fence. The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service stated Israeli forces opened hearth Sunday on two farmers in central Gaza, killing one and wounding the opposite. An Israeli navy spokesperson stated they weren’t conscious of the episode.
The United Nations says the truce has made it attainable to scale up the supply of meals, water, and drugs to the most important quantity because the begin of the conflict, nevertheless it calls the quantity of 160 to 200 vehicles a day “hardly enough.”
It was in a position to ship gasoline for the primary time because the conflict started, and to succeed in areas within the north for the primary time in a month. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated 50 Egyptian assist vehicles crossed by way of Israeli checkpoints to succeed in Gaza City and northern areas Sunday.
Hamas introduced the loss of life of Ahmed al-Ghandour, who was accountable for northern Gaza and a member of its high navy council. He is the highest-ranking militant identified to have been killed within the preventing. Israel’s navy confirmed the loss of life.
Al-Ghandour had survived at the very least three Israeli makes an attempt on his life and was concerned in a cross-border assault in 2006 during which Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier, in keeping with the Counter Extremism Project, an advocacy group based mostly in Washington.
Hamas stated he was killed together with three different senior militants, together with Ayman Siam, who Israel says was accountable for Hamas’ rocket-firing unit. The Israeli navy talked about each males in a Nov. 16 assertion, saying it had focused an underground advanced the place Hamas leaders have been hiding.
The Israeli navy claims to have killed 1000’s of militants, with out offering proof.
Elsewhere, the conflict has been accompanied by a surge in violence within the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian well being authorities stated Sunday that 5 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli navy raid within the West Bank metropolis of Jenin that started the day earlier than. The conflict toll within the West Bank is now 239.
The Israeli military has carried out frequent raids and arrested lots of of Palestinians because the begin of the conflict, largely folks it suspects of being Hamas members.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
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Full AP protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”