The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, announced in a statement on Saturday that it had handed over 13 Israeli hostages and seven foreigners to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) shortly before midnight, the deadline for the Compliance with the agreement with Israel.
The hostages are now “on the way to the Rafah terminal” towards Egypt, the Israeli army said. 39 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, women and teenagers under the age of 19, should be released immediately.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced earlier Saturday that it would release the second group of Israeli hostages who were due to leave Gaza before midnight in accordance with an agreement with Israel and after several hours of disruption to their transfer.
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Qatar, one of the mediators between Israel and Hamas, announced at the same time that 13 Israeli hostages and seven other foreigners would be released in the evening in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners.
In a statement, Hamas said it had “responded positively to efforts by Egypt and Qatar that continued throughout the day.”
He specified that he had received a “commitment” from Israel to respect “all the conditions of the agreement,” which provides for a four-day renewable ceasefire and the release of a total of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
AFP
These conditions include the delivery of humanitarian aid to the north of the Gaza Strip.
The agreement also provides for the release of long-standing Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is demanding that Palestinian prisoners, women and teenagers under the age of 19, who are released in exchange for the hostages, be released in order of age of incarceration.
On Friday, detainees were released after short sentences, while others who had been in prison for years were still waiting, said Osama Hamdane, a member of Hamas’ political bureau.
The Islamist movement is also calling for an end to the Israeli army’s shooting of Gaza refugees who were displaced in the south of the territory and are now trying to return to their homes in the north of the territory.
The Israeli army considers the northern third of the Gaza Strip a combat zone closed to civilians and continues to call on all residents to leave.
AFP
According to the United Nations, “at least one person was killed and seven others injured” when the Israeli army fired on people heading north on Friday.
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, seven other people were shot and injured under similar circumstances on Saturday.
The war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s bloody October 7 attack on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip, where it seized power in 2007.
According to Israel, 1,200 people, the vast majority of them civilians, were killed in this attack, and around 240 people were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to “destroy” Hamas and bombed Gaza relentlessly until the ceasefire began.
According to the Hamas government, the offensive in the Gaza Strip claimed almost 15,000 lives, including 6,150 children and teenagers.
AFP