An 85-year-old Israeli patriarch whose golf cart hijacking by Hamas terrorists quickly became one of the most powerful images of the war was among the first group of hostages to be freed on Friday amid a temporary ceasefire.
Yafa Adar was among 13 Israeli women and children freed from Gaza and handed over to the Red Cross as part of a four-day ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The elderly woman’s face was splashed around the world in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks after harrowing images emerged of her sitting on a golf cart surrounded by heavily armed Hamas gunmen.
Adar, wrapped in a pink blanket, looked ahead as he was driven into Palestinian territory following a raid on his Nir Oz kibbutz.
“I can’t even begin to understand how people think it makes sense to kidnap an 85-year-old woman, kidnap a baby, kidnap a child,” said her granddaughter, Adva Adar, shortly after the image emerged. “It’s not human.”
Yafa Adar, 85, was taken away in a golf cart by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. AP
“She was a strong woman,” the granddaughter continued. “And you can see there, he’s sitting down to show them, he’s not scared and he’s not hurt. And if they’re going to take him, they’re going to take him with his pride.”
It is unclear how soon Adar will be reunited with his relatives.
The Israeli military said the freed hostages underwent initial medical evaluation inside Israeli territory before being taken to an Israeli hospital to be reunited with their families.
“We have just completed the return of our first group of hostages. Children, their mothers and other women. Each of them is a world of its own,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
She was among 13 Israeli women and children freed from Gaza and handed over to the Red Cross as part of a four-day ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. AP footage shows Israeli hostages and humanitarian workers in an ambulance being driven through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing in Red Crossing vehicles. Al-Qahera News
“But I stress to you, the family, and to you, the citizens of Israel: We are committed to returning all our hostages.”
Among those released were four children each accompanied by a sister, as well as five elderly women including Adar.
Ten Thai nationals and one Filipino national detained in Gaza were also released, Qatar Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari confirmed.
Under the terms of a temporary Israel-Hamas ceasefire, 50 female and child hostages will be released within four days.
In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners will be released during the ceasefire.
Israel said the ceasefire could be extended if more hostages were released at a rate of 10 a day.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
