By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMY MAGDY and BASSEM MROUE (Associated Press)
AL BIREH, West Bank (AP) — A bus carrying almost three dozen Palestinian prisoners launched by Israel arrived within the West Bank early Sunday, following Hamas’ launch of 13 Israelis and 4 foreigners within the second spherical of swaps underneath a cease-fire deal.
Hundreds of individuals greeted the International Committee of the Red Cross bus because it arrived in Al Bireh. Crowds chanted “God is great” because the bus arrived, and a number of other younger males stood on the roof of the automobile. Many within the crowd held Hamas flags and chanted pro-Hamas slogans.
The Israeli navy mentioned the hostages launched by Hamas, together with 4 Thais, had been transferred to Israel and had been to be reunited with their households.
Hamas launched a video displaying the hostages showing shaken however largely in good bodily situation as masked militants led them to Red Cross automobiles headed out of Gaza. Some of the hostages waved goodbye to the militants as they headed out of the besieged enclave.
Nurhan Awad acquired a hero’s welcome by lots of of individuals on the Qalandia refugee camp close to Jerusalem when she arrived shortly after her launch. The lady was 17 in 2016 when she was sentenced to 13 1/2 years in jail for trying to stab an Israeli soldier with a pair of scissors.
Released Palestinian lady Shurouq Duwiyat arrived at her house in Jerusalem the place joyous members of the family hugged and kissed her.
“We send a message to our people in Gaza that we stand by your side and support you,” Duwiyat informed reporters inside her house.
Also in Jerusalem, Israeli troops evicted journalists who gathered exterior the house of Israa Jaabis, who had been imprisoned since 2015 after being convicted of finishing up separate assaults on Israelis.
Hundreds of Palestinians waited within the West Bank city of Beitunia for the arrival of further prisoners.
The Israeli hostages launched Saturday by Hamas included seven youngsters and 6 ladies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace introduced. Most of the launched hostages had been from Kibbutz Be’eri, a group Hamas militants ravaged throughout their Oct. 7 cross-border assault, a spokesperson for the kibbutz mentioned. The youngsters ranged in age from 3 to 16, and the ladies ranged from 18 to 67.
It was a bittersweet second for the residents of Be’eri. A kibbutz spokesperson mentioned all of the launched hostages both had a member of the family killed within the Oct. 7 rampage or had left a beloved one in captivity in Gaza.
The mom of one of many launched hostages, 12-year-old Hila Rotem, remained in captivity, the spokesperson mentioned.
Another, Emily Hand, is a woman whose father believed her to be useless for weeks earlier than discovering out she was held as a hostage.
Residents of the kibbutz have been staying collectively at a Dead Sea lodge for the reason that Oct. 7 assault. A big crowd gathered in a operate room on the lodge late Saturday, cheering in pleasure as they noticed the primary pictures of their family members being launched.
One classmate of 18-year-old Noga Weiss mentioned there was nice pleasure about her launch.
“I was very nervous when I heard about the delay. I thought something would happen,” the classmate, recognized as Zohar, informed Channel 13 TV. “It was a great relief when I saw her.”
The last-minute delay had created a tense standoff on the second day of what’s meant to be a four-day cease-fire. By dusk, because the hostages ought to have emerged from Gaza, Hamas alleged that the help deliveries permitted by Israel fell wanting what was promised and that not sufficient of it was reaching northern Gaza — the main focus of Israel’s floor offensive and predominant fight zone. Hamas additionally mentioned not sufficient veteran prisoners had been freed within the first swap on Friday.
“This is putting the deal in danger,” Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, mentioned in Beirut. But Egypt, Qatar and Hamas itself later mentioned obstacles had been overcome, and Hamas listed six ladies and 33 teenage boys it mentioned had been anticipated to be launched by the Israelis.
While uncertainty round some particulars of the change remained, there was some optimism, too, amid earlier scenes of joyous households reuniting on either side.
On the primary day of the cease-fire, Hamas launched 24 of the roughly 240 hostages taken throughout its Oct. 7 assault on Israel that triggered the warfare, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from jail. Those freed in Gaza had been 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino.
Overall, Hamas is to launch at the very least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners, throughout the four-day truce — all ladies and minors.
Israel has mentioned the truce will be prolonged an additional day for each further 10 hostages freed — one thing U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned he hoped would happen.
Biden spoke Saturday with Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani of Qatar, the White House mentioned, to debate “hurdles” to the discharge of the hostages.
The begin of the pause introduced quiet for two.3 million Palestinians reeling from relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed hundreds, pushed three-quarters of the inhabitants from their properties and leveled residential areas. Rocket fireplace from Gaza militants into Israel additionally went silent.
For Emad Abu Hajer, a resident of the Jabaliya refugee camp within the Gaza City space, the pause meant he might once more search by way of the stays of his house, which was flattened in an Israeli assault final week.
He discovered the our bodies of a cousin and nephew, bringing the dying toll within the assault to 19. His sister and two different kinfolk are nonetheless lacking.
“We want to find them and bury them in dignity,” he mentioned.
The United Nations mentioned the pause enabled it to scale up the supply of meals, water, and medication to the biggest quantity for the reason that resumption of assist convoys on Oct. 21. It was additionally capable of ship 129,000 liters (34,078 gallons) of gasoline — simply over 10% of the each day pre-war quantity — in addition to cooking fuel, a primary for the reason that warfare started.
In the southern metropolis of Khan Younis, an extended line of individuals with containers waited exterior a filling station. Hossam Fayad lamented that the pause in preventing was just for 4 days.
“I wish it could be extended until people’s conditions improved,” he mentioned.
For the primary time in over a month, assist reached northern Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent mentioned 61 vehicles carrying meals, water and medical provides headed there on Saturday, the biggest assist convoy to achieve the world but. The U.N. mentioned it and the Palestinian Red Crescent had been additionally capable of evacuate 40 sufferers and members of the family from a hospital in Gaza City to a hospital in Khan Younis.
The warfare in Gaza has been accompanied by a surge in violence within the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Late Saturday, Palestinian well being authorities mentioned 4 Palestinians had been killed in an Israeli navy raid within the northern West Bank metropolis of Jenin, hours after one other raid in the identical space killed the native governor’s 25-year-old son.
A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was additionally killed by Israeli fireplace close to the town of Ramallah. The Israeli military, which regularly conducts navy raids geared toward native militant teams, didn’t instantly remark.
In Tel Aviv, a number of thousand individuals packed a central sq. referred to as “the square of the hostages,” awaiting information of the second launch.
“Don’t forget the others because it’s getting harder, harder and harder. It’s heartbreaking,” mentioned Neri Gershon, a Tel Aviv resident. Some households have accused Netanyahu’s authorities of not doing sufficient to convey hostages house.
In the Balata refugee camp within the West Bank, the household of 16-year-old Wael Mesheh was frantically getting the home prepared for his homecoming as a part of the second swap. “We are going to hug him so tight,” his mom, Hanadi Mesheh, mentioned by cellphone.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, Israel is holding 7,200 Palestinians, together with about 2,000 arrested for the reason that begin of the warfare.
The warfare erupted when a number of thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, and taking scores of hostages, together with infants, ladies and older adults, in addition to troopers.
“We will return immediately at the end of the cease-fire to attacking in Gaza, operating in Gaza,” Herzi Halevi, Israeli chief of workers, informed troopers.
Israeli leaders have mentioned they gained’t cease till Hamas, which has managed Gaza for the previous 16 years, is crushed. Israeli officers have argued that solely navy stress can convey the hostages house. But the federal government is underneath stress from hostages’ households to prioritize the discharge of the remaining captives.
The Israeli offensive has killed greater than 13,300 Palestinians, in response to the Health Ministry within the Hamas-run Gaza authorities. Women and minors have persistently made up round two-thirds of the useless. The determine doesn’t embody up to date numbers from hospitals within the north, the place communications have damaged down.
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Magdy reported from Cairo and Mroue from Beirut. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed.
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Full AP protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”