Hamas has handed over 13 Israeli captives and 4 Thai nationals to the Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross (ICRC) after a delay of seven hours because the group claimed that Israel had violated the phrases of a truce.
The deadlock was resolved following mediation by Qatar and Egypt on Saturday, the second day of the pause in hostilities within the Israel-Palestinian battle.
Israel is now anticipated to launch 39 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of International Affairs, mentioned in a submit on X that 13 Israelis and 4 overseas nationals had been handed over to the ICRC. They have been on their approach to the Rafah border crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt earlier than travelling to Israel.
The 17 captives had arrived in Israel, the Israeli Military posted on X.
“After present process an preliminary medical evaluation, they are going to proceed to be accompanied by IDF [Israeli Army] troopers as they make their approach to Israeli hospitals, the place they are going to be reunited with their households,” it mentioned.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, mentioned that the 17 launched have been “taken to an airbase in southern Israel for an preliminary verify the place they are going to then be flown to a number of totally different hospitals all through the Tel Aviv space for extra medical and psychological checks”.
The Israeli captives included six grownup ladies and 7 kids and youngsters, in accordance with a press release from the Israeli prime minister’s workplace. The hostages have been launched after spending 50 days in captivity, it mentioned.
Delay in handover
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan had mentioned earlier that the help deliveries permitted by Israel had fallen wanting what had been promised and weren’t reaching northern Gaza, which was the goal of Israel’s offensive.
Solely 65 of 340 aid trucks that had entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, which was “lower than half of what Israel agreed on”, Hamdan mentioned from Beirut.
Israel has mentioned 50 vans with meals, water, shelter gear and medical provides had deployed to northern Gaza below United Nations supervision, the primary important help supply there for the reason that begin of the warfare seven weeks in the past.
The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, earlier mentioned Israel had did not respect the phrases of the Palestinian prisoner launch.
Qadura Fares, the Palestinian commissioner for prisoners, mentioned Israel had not launched detainees by seniority, as was anticipated.
The row over the second swap of captives for prisoners quashed hopes after 13 Israeli ladies and youngsters have been freed by Hamas on Friday. Ten Thai nationals and one citizen from the Philippines have been freed as a part of a separate settlement, and 39 Palestinian women and teenagers have been launched from Israeli jails.
Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari mentioned the federal government was dedicated to complying with the truce settlement with Hamas however that there have been many events and components concerned. “And daily brings with it its complexities,” he added.
But, at least two Palestinians have been reported to have been killed by the Israeli army and 11 wounded as they tried the journey to northern Gaza on Friday.
A lot of displaced individuals have been trying to return home across Gaza because the four-day truce brokered by Qatar took impact on Friday. Nonetheless, Israel has warned those that they won’t be allowed to enter the north of the war-torn enclave.
‘Pleasure is resistance too’
Many Palestinian households have been, in the meantime, ready for the discharge of their family members from Israeli prisons.
Safaa Merie, who was amongst a whole lot of people that gathered to obtain the prisoners in Beitunia, informed Al Jazeera she was ready for a 14-year-old boy on behalf of his members of the family from Jenin, a metropolis within the north of the occupied West Financial institution.
“Due to the army checkpoints by the Israelis, it’s very tough to come back right here, virtually not possible,” she informed Al Jazeera.
“I don’t know him however we’re all right here to welcome all of the prisoners.”
Manal Tamimi informed Al Jazeera in el-Bireh, additionally within the occupied West Financial institution, that she was ready for her teenage nephew Wisam to be launched after seven months.
“Our brothers and sisters in Gaza – our hearts are bleeding for them,” she mentioned.
“However we consider that pleasure is resistance too and [we should not] let the occupier break us, break our happiness.”
Truce extension?
Earlier than the snag within the newest hostages-to-prisoners alternate, Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing by means of which help provides have resumed into southern Gaza, mentioned it had obtained “constructive alerts” from all events over a potential extension to the pause in preventing.
Diaa Rashwan, the pinnacle of Egypt’s State Data Service (SIS), mentioned in a press release that Cairo was holding in depth talks with all events to succeed in an settlement that will imply “the discharge of extra detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails”.
Israel has mentioned the truce could possibly be prolonged if Hamas continues to launch hostages at a charge of no less than 10 per day. A Palestinian supply has mentioned as much as 100 hostages might go free.
For now, 50 of about 240 hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners over 4 days below the truce, the primary halt in preventing since Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 individuals.
Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas, raining bombs and shells on the enclave and launching a floor offensive within the north. Israel’s relentless bombardment has killed greater than 14,800 individuals, roughly 40 p.c of them kids, Palestinian well being authorities mentioned on Saturday.
