Twelve more Hamas hostages were released Tuesday as part of an extended ceasefire deal with Israel – which reportedly pledged not to extend last Sunday’s shaky peace truce.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Hamas had freed 10 Israelis – all women between the ages of 17 and 84 – and two Thai nationals.
No Americans were released in the latest round, a White House official told CNN.
Israel and Hamas are now discussing plans to extend the deadline for another two days with the same conditions as before, Egyptian sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.
But the lull in the war turned alarming Tuesday when the Israel Defense Forces said three bombs were detonated near Israeli forces at two locations in Gaza, injuring several soldiers and violating the ceasefire. Both sides then exchanged fire. Hamas says Israel started the fighting.
The IDF also said three Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hamas have now been confirmed dead. Killed soldier — Israeli Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Sgt. Shaked Dahan, 19 – was abducted on October 7 and is believed to have been killed that day.
Israeli forces continue to operate in Gaza as the Jewish state reportedly refuses to allow a ceasefire to pass through Sunday. via REUTERS Members of the Red Cross wait to receive hostages released by Hamas. AFP via Getty Images
The Red Cross received a fifth wave of hostages released Tuesday morning, with the group being given medical checks and taken to Israel.
The 10 Israeli hostages have been identified as Gabriela Leimberg, 59, and her daughter Mia, 17; Ditza Heiman, 84; Tamar Metzger, 78; Nurlene Agojo, 60; Ada Sagi, 75; Merav Tal, 53; Rimon Kirscht, 36; Ophelia Roitman, 77; and Clara Merman, 63 years old.
Israeli hostages are pictured in Rafah, Egypt, after being freed from Hamas custody on November 28, 2023. Al Qahera News Hamas fighters escort newly freed hostages before handing them over to the Red Cross in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip on November 28, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Mia Leimberg was released — with her dog Bella in her arms.
The release came after Qatari officials, who led talks between Israel and the terror group, said a total of 20 hostages would be freed within two days – or on Wednesday when the ceasefire deadline was extended.
With Tuesday’s release, 79 hostages in Gaza have now been freed so far, with Israeli officials estimating that about 160 others remain in custody.
Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was released from the Gaza Strip on November 27 after being taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel. via REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office added that it had sent a list of 50 Palestinian prisoners who could be released in exchange for more hostages and an extension of the cease-fire agreement, NBC News reported.
Tuesday’s hostage release paves the way for the freedom of 30 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, including 15 women and 15 male minors. It increased the number of prisoners released in exchange for hostages to 147.
A Red Cross vehicle carrying the newly freed hostages drove towards the Rafah border crossing. AFP via Getty Images
One of the prisoners expected to be released is journalist Marwat al-Azza, who was charged Monday over statements made on social media, including one that appeared to mock an elderly woman kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
But despite being open to extending the ceasefire in the Palestinian territories until at least Wednesday, Israeli officials allegedly do not want to extend the ceasefire for more than 10 days, a source familiar with the matter told Haaretz.
This handout photo released by the Israeli military shows two hostages released by Hamas, Gal (center) and Tal Almog-Goldstein (left), being transported by helicopter after their release on November 26, 2023. Israel Defense Forces (IDF)/ AFP via Getty Images
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Israeli officials in talks with Qatari negotiators insisted that the pause would end Sunday no matter what, with the war to resume after that, the source said.
Netanyahu has vowed to only end the war when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which currently controls Gaza, is destroyed.
Relatives of the Bibas family and their supporters joined the rally calling for the immediate release of Yarden Bibas, Shiri Bibas, and their two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 10 months, who were held hostage in Gaza. Getty Images A woman reacts during a rally calling for the immediate release of Yarden Bibas, Shiri Bibas, and their two children. Getty Images
“The release of all prisoners, the elimination of the Hamas terrorist organization above and below ground, and of course, Gaza will not return to the way it was and can no longer pose a threat to our country,” the prime minister said Tuesday.
IDF officials have described the peace as an opportunity to “strengthen” their forces in northern Gaza to prepare for another all-out assault.
“The IDF is ready to continue fighting,” Herzi Halevi, the army’s chief of staff, told the army on Tuesday. “We are using the pause days as part of a framework for learning, strengthening our readiness and approving future operational plans.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
