Shortly before the end of the ceasefire in the Gaza war, the conflicting parties agreed to extend it. More hostages in Gaza could now be released. The overview.
After the ceasefire in the Gaza war was extended by two days, there is great hope that more hostages will be released. In the evening, Israel and the Islamist Hamas agreed to extend the ceasefire, which was initially scheduled to last four days, until Thursday morning.
On Monday evening, Hamas released another eleven hostages, including two Germans. In return, Israel released 33 Palestinian prisoners from various prisons. During the night, the Israeli government received another list of people slated for release.
List of hostages is being checked
The people on Hamas’ list are expected to be released today, the Times of Israel reported, citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. It would be the first group to be released from Islamist control after the ceasefire was extended. According to the newspaper, it was not clear from the announcement how many hostages might be released. Other media reported ten people.
Since Friday, 69 hostages have been released, including ten German dual citizens. In return, a group of 33 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons yesterday, as the Israeli prison authorities announced in the evening. These were women and young people. The youngest teenager was reportedly 14 years old. A total of 150 Palestinian prisoners have been released since Friday. Those released so far had been convicted of, among other things, knife attacks on Israelis, arson and attacks with firebombs or stones.
According to the Times of Israel, the extended pause in fighting could result in the release of approximately 20 more hostages who were kidnapped in the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th. In total, the fighters kidnapped around 240 people into the Gaza Strip. About 1,200 people were killed. Israel has since launched a ground offensive against Hamas.
Also Germans among the freedmen
Hamas handed over eleven hostages to the Red Cross in the evening as part of the ceasefire, the Israeli army announced. According to Israeli media reports, there are nine children and young people and two women. There were two German teenagers in the hostage group, as Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter. Of the people abducted, around 20 also had German citizenship.
After 52 days of suffering and despair, the teenager’s mother could hug them again, Baerbock wrote on .” According to a spokeswoman for the Israeli hostage families, the German citizens were two teenage brothers.
People should be medically examined
Monday’s group was the fourth group of hostages to be released since the ceasefire began. People should first be medically examined and then be able to meet their families. In addition to the two Germans, there were also three French children aged 12 and 16, as the Foreign Ministry in Paris announced. According to the ministry, five French people are still missing.
Israeli government spokesman Eilon Levi said before Monday’s release that 184 hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip. Of these, 14 are foreigners and 80 are Israelis with a second passport. The youngest of the hostages, a ten-month-old baby, had not yet been released. The boy was kidnapped with his parents and four-year-old brother.
US Secretary of State wants to go to Israel again
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit Israel and the West Bank again this week for further discussions about the hostages. He will also address Israel’s right to self-defense and discuss the protection of civilians during Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington. Blinken also wants to discuss further steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state and the need to prevent the conflict from spreading. His ministry did not say when Blinken would arrive in the Middle East region.
What is important today
After the pause in fighting is extended, more hostages from the Gaza Strip are expected to be released in possible exchanges with Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Organizations are also likely to continue trying to bring aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is also continuing his trip to the Middle East with a visit to Oman – an influential state in the region.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
