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New release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners is scheduled for this Sunday, the third day of a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic movement that allows more humanitarian aid to be provided to the inhabitants of the Gaza strip. Saturday’s releases were delayed several hours after Hamas accused Israel of not respecting the terms of the agreement reached on Wednesday thanks to mediation by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, a sign that shows the fragility of the truce. Meanwhile, hundreds of trucks with humanitarian aid continue to enter the Gaza Strip, besieged during seven weeks of war triggered by Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel on October 7.
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In total, The Islamic movement handed over 41 Israeli and foreign hostages on Friday and Saturday to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Israel released 78 Palestinian prisoners.
LOOK: Hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas: what does it say and who will be released?
The agreement provides for a four-day truce that should allow the release of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli government said it had a list of hostages who would be released on Sunday, but did not reveal their identities, number or time.
“Psychological warfare”
Israeli army spokesman Doron Spielman stated that Hamas employs a “delay tactic” in “psychological warfare”, following the delayed release of 17 hostages on Saturday.
In a video published by the brigades Ezzedine al-Qassamthe armed wing of the Islamic movement, are shown 13 Israeli and four Thai hostages board ICRC vehicles just before midnight. They all arrived shortly afterwards in Israel through Egypt.
Among the freed hostages is Maya Regev21, kidnapped with her brother, 18, while trying to escape the music festival Nova Tribeon what Hamas He killed 364 people in his attack in the early hours of October 7.
“I am very happy that Maya is about to join us. However, I am heartbroken because my son Itay is still a Hamas prisoner in Gaza,” said his mother Mirit, quoted by the Hostage Families Forum.
In Tel Aviv, tens of thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday afternoon to call for the full release of those held captive.
On October 7th, Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped around 240, according to authorities, in the worst attack on Israeli soil in the country’s history.
In response, Israel bombarded the scarce territory without respite. The Islamic group, which has governed Gaza since 2007, claims that So far, 14,854 people have been killed by the Israeli offensive, including 6,150 children.
“Palestine is hurt”
On Saturday night, Israel announced the release of a second group of 39 Palestinian prisoners, all women and under 19 years of age.
In West Bank occupied, convoys of vehicles flying flags of Hamas-led Palestinian movements paraded through the streets while escorting an ICRC bus carrying freed prisoners.
In East Jerusalem, occupied and attached by Israel, the celebrations were more discreet. Members of the Israeli security forces, armed and wearing helmets, surrounded the home of 39-year-old Israa Jaabis, the most high-profile prisoner on the list, in large numbers.
Jaabis was sentenced to 11 years in prison for detonating a gas container she had in the trunk of her vehicle during a traffic stop in 2015, injuring a police officer.
His photograph with withered fingers and partially burned face in an Israeli courtroom is often used to show the suffering of Palestinian prisoners.
“I am ashamed to speak of joy when all of Palestine is hurt”Jaabis told reporters alongside his 13-year-old son Moatassem. “They must all be released,” he urged.
The chief of staff of the Israeli army, General Herzi Halevi, warned that the war is not over. “We will start attacking Gaza again as soon as the truce ends,” he promised.
Hamas’ armed wing confirmed the death of the commander of its northern Gaza brigade, Ahmed al-Ghandour, and three other senior officials, including Ayman Siyyam, presented as heads of rocket launching units in the Israeli offensive.
Humanitarian help
The agreement also includes the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza, Besieged by Israel since October 9th.
A total of 248 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday, 61 of them were transporting water, food and medical supplies to the north of the territory, according to the UN.
The army considers that the northern third of the Gaza strip, where the city of Gaza is located, is a combat zone that is home to Hamas’ infrastructure center. He ordered the population to leave that area and prevented them from returning.
Despite the warning, thousands of displaced people in Gaza took advantage of the break in fighting to try to return to their homes in the north.
“We have no weapons. We are civilians,” said Mahmud Masood amid the rubble of Jabaliya, in the north of the territory. “Why did they destroy our homes?”
According to the UN, half of Gaza’s homes were damaged or destroyed and 1.7 million people – out of 2.4 million inhabitants – were displaced.
In West Bank occupied, eight Palestinians died in 24 hours in several incidents with the Israeli army, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Source: Elcomercio
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
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