24 Hostages Released By Hamas Nearly 2 Months After War Began

Hamas on Friday freed a primary batch of hostages seized within the deadliest assault in Israel’s historical past below a deal that noticed a brief truce take maintain in war-ravaged Gaza.

13 Israeli hostages captured throughout Palestinian militants’ cross-border raids had been again in Israeli territory the place they’d endure medical checks earlier than being reunited with their households, the military mentioned.

They included 4 youngsters and 6 aged girls, a listing issued by the Israeli prime minister’s workplace confirmed.

A convoy of Crimson Cross autos was earlier seen crossing the border between Gaza and Egypt, with a few of the passengers waving, after Hamas handed over the hostages to the humanitarian organisation.

Israel is about to free thrice as many Palestinian prisoners — girls and teenage boys — below a deal that adopted weeks of talks involving Israel, Palestinian militant teams, Qatar, Egypt and the US.

Key mediator Qatar confirmed Hamas had on Friday launched a complete of 24 hostages and that Israel had freed 39 girls and kids from its prisons.

“These launched embody 13 Israeli residents, a few of whom are twin residents, along with 10 Thai residents and a Filipino citizen,” its overseas ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari mentioned.

A White Home official mentioned “we don’t count on Individuals to be among the many first group launched at present however stay hopeful that there will likely be Individuals among the many 50 launched”.

Footage launched earlier by the Israeli military confirmed shiny pink and blue headphones sitting on the seats of a helicopter prepared for the launched hostages to make use of, together with toys and teddy bears ready at a reception centre the place they had been being taken to.

Throughout a four-day truce, at the least 50 hostages are anticipated to be freed, leaving an estimated 190 within the palms of Palestinian militants.

In alternate, 150 Palestinians prisoners are anticipated to be launched.

Of the 39 launched on Friday, 28 had been freed within the occupied West Financial institution, an AFP correspondent noticed, whereas the opposite 11 had been on their method to annexed east Jerusalem.

Hamas broke by Gaza’s militarised border with Israel on October 7 to kill, in response to Israeli officers, about 1,200 folks and seize round 240 Israeli and overseas hostages.

‘Going dwelling’

The pause in preventing triggered a mass motion of hundreds of Gazans who had sought refuge in faculties and hospitals from relentless Israeli bombardment begun after assaults by Hamas militants.

“I am going dwelling,” Omar Jibrin, 16, advised AFP after he emerged from a hospital within the south of the Gaza Strip the place he and eight relations had sought refuge.

In Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza the place many Palestinians fled, a cacophony of automotive horns and ambulance sirens has changed the sound of struggle.

For Khaled al-Halabi, the truce is “an opportunity to breathe” after almost seven weeks of struggle.

Halabi had taken refuge in Rafah however is from Gaza Metropolis within the north, a lot of which has been decreased to rubble.

Israel’s retaliatory air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a floor offensive have killed about 15,000 folks, most of them civilians, the Hamas authorities in Gaza mentioned.

Gazans have struggled to outlive with shortages of water and different necessities. Vans carrying assist, together with gas, gasoline, and meals, started shifting into Gaza by the Rafah crossing from Egypt shortly after the truce started at 7:00 am (0500 GMT).

Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations humanitarian company, OCHA, expressed hope that the pause “results in a longer-term humanitarian ceasefire for the advantage of the folks of Gaza, Israel and past.”

He repeated the necessity for entry throughout Gaza, particularly within the north “the place the injury and the humanitarian wants are the best”.

In line with the UN, 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million persons are estimated to have been displaced by the preventing.

Now, hundreds of them try to get dwelling.

In Khan Yunis, they loaded belongings onto carts, strapped them to automotive roofs, or slung baggage over their shoulders, crowding streets to return to their properties from non permanent shelters.

Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets warning those that the struggle is just not over and it’s “very harmful” to return north, the main focus of Israel’s army marketing campaign.

The truce was additionally an opportunity for some Palestinians to return to Gaza by the Rafah crossing.

Within the morning, a number of obvious gunshots had been heard and darkish plumes of smoke rose periodically over northern Gaza, an AFPTV livecam confirmed, however the truce seemed to be holding within the afternoon.

Rigorously ready

Ziv Agmon, authorized adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace, advised reporters earlier than the hostages had been freed that they’d be obtained individually or in teams by the Crimson Cross, taken throughout the border and handed to the Israeli military.

From El-Arish, within the Sinai, they’d be flown to Israel, an Egyptian safety supply mentioned.

Agmon mentioned troopers had been rigorously ready to obtain probably deeply traumatised girls and kids.

After medical examinations, the previous captives will be capable of phone relations earlier than reunions later at Israeli medical services, he added. 

AFP has confirmed the identities of 210 of the roughly 240 hostages.

A minimum of 35 of these seized had been youngsters, with 18 of them aged 10 or below on the time of their abduction.

Hamas earlier launched 4 girls and Israeli forces rescued one other. Two different captives, together with a girl soldier, had been discovered lifeless by Israeli troops in Gaza.

Maayan Zin, whose eight- and 15-year-old daughters Ela and Dafna are among the many hostages, posted on social media platform X that she had been knowledgeable their names weren’t on the checklist of these as a result of be launched.

“That is extremely troublesome for me; I lengthy for his or her return,” she wrote.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)