1701063647 14 Israeli hostages and three foreigners released

14 Israeli hostages and three foreigners released

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AGI – “According to the Red Cross The hostages transferred were 14 Israelis and three foreigners“. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari reports this on

In the meantime Hamas confirmed the death of different Commander in Chief during Israel’s war against the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. Among the victims he named Ahmed GhandourThe Commander of the Northern Brigade from Gaza, Ayman Siamthe head of Missile launch system, Wael Rajab and Raafat Salman. Israel had previously said it had targeted Ghandour and Siam but had not confirmed the killing of the two.

new hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas

© AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP

Release of Palestinian prisoners

On Friday and Saturday, Hamas handed over everything to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). 41 Israeli hostages and foreigners detained in Gaza, while Israel released 78 Palestinian prisoners. The agreement, reached on Wednesday under the auspices of Qatar and with support from the United States and Egypt, calls for the exchange of 50 Hamas hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners during the four-day ceasefire, which can be extended.

The agreement is expected to stand four days and facilitate the release of 50 Hamas hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners. The released prisoners, all women and young people under the age of 19, were in East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel celebrate discreetly amid the presence of the Israeli police.

The Israeli government said last night that it had a list of the abductees expected to be released today, but did not disclose their identities, their numbers, or the expected date of their handover to the Red Cross.

The release of the hostages on Saturday was delayed for many hours Hamas which accused Israel of not respecting the terms of the agreement, but in the end the situation was resolved. Israeli army spokesman Doron Spielman spoke of Hamas’s “delay tactics” as part of its “psychological warfare.”

Late in the evening, Hamas finally released 17 people. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist movement, released a video showing the 13 Israelis and the four Thais getting into the ICRC’s SUVs shortly before midnight. In one of the vehicles, a young woman with a bandaged ankle and walking on crutches was lying on a stretcher. Shortly afterwards they all came to Israel via Egypt.

Among the hostages released on Saturday was Maya Regev, 21, who was kidnapped along with her 18-year-old brother as they tried to escape the music festival Tribe Nova, attacked by Hamas militants in the early hours of October 7th. A video published on social networks shows the young woman and her brother tied up in the back of a pickup truck.

“I am very happy that Maya will be joining us. However, my heart is broken because my son Itay is still a prisoner of Hamas in Gaza,” his mother Mirit said in a statement released by the Hostages’ Families Forum.

In the last few hours, the IDF has posted on X some pictures of the hostages who have returned to freedom. The images include the message: “These are tears of joy.” After 50 days of Hamas captivity, 41 hostages – women, children, the elderly and foreign citizens – have been released in the last 48 hours and have returned home to the warm embrace of their loved ones. This is what we are fighting for and we will not stop until everyone is home.”

The Pope: Thank God for the ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages

“Today we thank God because there is finally a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine and some hostages have been released. We pray that they are all released as soon as possible: let us think of their families. May more humanitarian aid reach Gaza, and may we insist on dialogue: it is the only way, the only way, to have peace. If you don’t want dialogue, you don’t want peace.”

This is what Pope Francis said during the Angelus via video broadcast from Casa Santa Marta. His appeal was read by Monsignor Paolo Braida.

Netanyahu visits troops in Gaza, ‘forward to victory’

For the first time since the start of the war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in northern Gaza of Gaza amid the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas.
“We are making every effort to return our hostages, and in the end we will return them all,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. “We have three goals for this war: to eliminate Hamas, return all of our hostages and ensure that Gaza does not again become a threat to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu reminded.

“We will continue until the end, until the victory. Nothing will stop us and we are convinced that we have the power, strength, will and determination to achieve all the objectives of the war and we will do that,” he assured. According to the Prime Minister’s Office newly opened by Tiems of Israel, Netanyahu visited one of the Hamas tunnels discovered by Israeli troops. Also with him were Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, his military secretary Avi Gil and deputy chief of staff of the army Amir Baram.

ANP, all 39 Palestinians in the exchange are children

The Palestinian Authority for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs has revealed the names of the 39 Palestinian prisoners in the third tranche of the exchange with Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas: They are all children, most from Jerusalem.

CNN, little Abigail Edan among the hostages freed by Hamas

Abigail Edan, the kidnapped 4-year-old American-Israeli citizen by Hamas on October 7th in the released hostage group today and is now in the hands of Red Cross officials. A senior American official told CNN. This is the first successful release of an American hostage since the beginning of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Edan is among 17 prisoners released today in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners.

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