Tobias Sylvester
Palestinian militant group, Hamas has released ten Israeli hostages, including nine women and a 17-year-old girl, along with two people from Thailand.
These individuals were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and subsequently returned to Israeli territory on Tuesday evening.
In response, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners as part of a cease-fire agreement between the warring sides.
The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has been extended until Wednesday, with the possibility of further exchanges.
Since Friday, Hamas has released 81 hostages, primarily Israeli nationals, while Israel has freed 180 Palestinian prisoners.
The extension of the cease-fire aims to facilitate the entry of more aid into Gaza, which has suffered from weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment, displacing three out of every four people in the territory which is home to 2.3 million people.
The final 24 hours of the extended agreement include an anticipated additional exchange of hostages for prisoners.
Mediator Qatar expressed hope for a more enduring arrangement, focusing on achieving a sustainable truce leading to further negotiations and an eventual end to the conflict.
“Our main focus right now, and our hope, is to reach a sustainable truce that will lead to further negotiations and eventually to an end… to this war,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a Doha news conference.
“However, we are working with what we have. And what we have right now is the provision to the agreement that allows us to extend days as long as Hamas is able to guarantee the release of at least 10 hostages.”
That provision has allowed the two-day extension that saw 10 Israeli hostages released from Gaza overnight Tuesday, along with two Thais freed outside the scope of the agreement.
Despite the ongoing exchanges, Israel remains committed to neutralizing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending the group’s 16-year rule over Gaza, potentially expanding its ground offensive from the devastated northern Gaza to the south.
The conflict, triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, has resulted in over 13,300 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, and about 1,200 casualties in Israel, mainly during the initial incursion by Hamas.
This comes weeks after the United Nations expressed concern after Israel instructed residents of northern Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours.
