The West Bank celebrates the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners
People took to the streets to celebrate the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
A four-day ceasefire that led to the release of scores of hostages and prisoners and ensured relative calm in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip will be extended for another two days, Hamas and Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
The ceasefire was due to end on Monday, but Israeli and Palestinian leaders had expressed support for an extension of the ceasefire and the release of more hostages and Israeli prisoners held by militants. Israel has long offered to extend the ceasefire by one day for every ten more hostages released.
“The State of Qatar announces that, as part of the ongoing mediation, an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for another two days,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Social media post.
Israel did not immediately confirm the deal, but Hamas said in a social media post that it had “agreed with Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanitarian ceasefire for another two days.”
A senior aid group for Egyptian President Diaa Rashwan said the talks aimed to secure a two-day extension that would include the release of 10 Israeli hostages and 30 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday and Wednesday. Counselor Diaa Rashwan also said that 11 Israeli hostages would also be released later on Monday, the Times of Israel reports. Nearly 60 women and children hostages have been released since Friday, along with scores of women and teenage Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
According to Israeli authorities, an estimated 240 people were taken hostage by militants and more than 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 raid in Israel. A further 77 Israeli soldiers were killed in the subsequent military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 13,000 Palestinians were killed in the fighting.
Biden sends $100 million in aid to Gaza: Will any of this end up in the hands of Hamas?
Developments:
∎ UN experts Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, and Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, called for “thorough and impartial investigations into the crimes allegedly committed.” “of Hamas and Israel at war.
∎ The Israeli military said it arrested 20 wanted militants, including 15 Hamas members, in the West Bank overnight.
Americans released: Avigail Edan, 4, among the hostages released Sunday; Hamas wants to extend the ceasefire
Elon Musk accompanied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a tour of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where dozens of residents were killed in the militant attack on October 7. A video released from Netanyahu’s office showed Musk in a body armor, accompanied by a security team, taking video and taking photos with his cell phone.
Musk has caused a stir in recent weeks when he claimed that the social media platform he runs – formerly Twitter, now X – was inundated with anti-Semitism. Tesla’s billionaire CEO said he was disturbed by the videos and photos Netanyahu showed him that showed children being killed by militants.
“It was shocking to see the scene of the massacre,” Musk later said in an X-Spaces conversation with Netanyahu. Musk
The Biden administration has pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians amid the crisis sparked by the war between Israel and Hamas. But the government’s desire to send much-needed aid is running into fears that some of the aid could end up in the hands of Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza and whose surprise, deadly attack on Israel on October 7 was the most recent sparked conflict. The US has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization.
“Why should we spend a minute of our time trying to figure out how to get more aid into Gaza to help terrorists? That makes no sense,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
− Michael Collins, Kim Hjelmgaard and Josh Meyer
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting of three young men of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, in what authorities believe is a possible hate crime. Jason Eaton, 48, was arrested Sunday afternoon after investigators found him touring the shooting scene, police said. Two victims were in stable condition and one suffered serious injuries, police said.
The victims wore keffiyahs, traditional Palestinian scarves, and spoke Arabic at the time of the attack, prompting authorities to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. Two of the victims were U.S. citizens and one was a legal resident, police said.
Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad urged the public not to jump to conclusions, but said, “At this tense moment, no one can look at this incident without suspecting that this may be a hate crime.” “
− Cybele Mayes-Osterman
The police may arrest the suspect “Hate-motivated” shooting of three Palestinian students
The families of the hostages released by Hamas say their loved ones survived seven weeks in captivity in difficult conditions. Merav Raviv, whose three relatives were released by Hamas on Friday, said they were fed irregularly and ate mostly rice and bread. She said her cousin and aunt, Keren and Ruth Munder, lost about 15 pounds each.
Raviv said she heard from her freed family members that they slept on rows of chairs pushed together in a room and sometimes had to wait hours before they could use the toilet.
Yocheved Lipschitz, 85, said she was held in a network of tunnels by kidnappers who told her they “believe in the Koran and would not harm us.” She said she and other hostages received medical care and had one meal a day with cheese, pickles and pita – the same meal that their captors had eaten.
Biden sends $100 million in aid to Gaza. Will any of this end up in the hands of Hamas?
Contribution: The Associated Press