Eleven more Israeli hostages have been freed from Gaza in return for dozens of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, as the two sides agreed to extend the existing ceasefire by two days.
Hamas released the hostages – nine children and two women – late on Monday, with all of them from the Nir Oz kibbutz, according to officials from the community. A further release in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails is scheduled to take place later on Tuesday.
The Israeli hostages released on Monday evening included three with French citizenship, two with German citizenship and six Argentinian citizens. Their return to Israel after 51 days in captivity brought “a sigh of relief to our community, however we remain deeply concerned about our loved ones that are still held hostage,” Osnat Peri, a kibbutz official, said.
Shortly afterwards, a release of a further 33 Palestinian prisoners – 30 children and three women – was confirmed by Israel’s prison authority. It was the last exchange under the initial ceasefire deal.
The extension of the truce by 48 hours has brought great relief in Israel, Gaza and beyond. But there are fears of a return to fighting when the deadline expires on Thursday morning, threatening more civilian casualties, displacement and destruction.
Israeli leaders have sworn repeatedly to secure the release of all the 240 hostages taken by Hamas last month but also to “crush” the militant Islamist organisation.
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Images released by the Israeli military showed a French-Israeli child, Eitan Yahalomi, reunited with his mother, who gripped him tightly to her.
“Seeing the hostages reunited with their families and the fact that they are recovering physically gives a sense of optimism, but given their difficult, complex stories of captivity, they will have a long way to go until they are [fully] healed,” said Itai Pessach, the head of the Safra Children’s hospital.
Ido Dan, a relative of Israelis Sahar Calderon, 16, and Erez Calderon, 12, spoke of the joy at their release on Monday mixed with anxiety about their father, Ofer, who is still being held. “It is difficult to go from a state of endless anxiety about their fate to a state of relief and joy,” Dan said. “This is an exciting and heart-filling moment but … it is the beginning of a difficult rehabilitation process for Sahar and Erez, who are still young and have been through an unbearable experience.”
In a separate deal, an undisclosed number of Thai nationals were released. Most were farm workers seized along with kibbutz residents by Hamas last month.
In East Jerusalem, prisoner Muhammad Abu Al-Humus called his release “an indescribable joy” and kissed his mother’s hand as he entered his home after release from an Israeli prison, while crowds in the West Bank town of Beitunia waved green Hamas flags to greet those arriving on a coach.
Palestinian prisoners freed…
2023-11-28 02:45:05
Article from www.theguardian.com