Tel Aviv – Israel was delighted on Thursday, when the Hamas militants freed eight hostages, which had been held in the Gaza Strip for more than 15 months, but the turbulent events of the day underlined the fragility of a ceasefire that had interrupted the devastating war in Gaza.
After chaotic scenes in southern Gaza, the up-and-coming crowd surrounded themselves around the Palestinian armed men and prepared to hand over most hostages-delayed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the agreed release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners by hours. The patient situation was finally solved, and buses with liberated Palestinians finally left a prison in the West Bank when the night fell.
The Palestinian prisoners were welcomed by a lot of supporters after they were released by Israel in the city of Ramallah on Saturday.
(Mahmoud as Heys / Associated Press)
The envoy of President Trump, Steve Witkoff, who met in Tel Aviv with previously freed Israeli hostages, and the families of some of the still captured families were “hopeful” that the ceasefire would continue to hold 12 days after the first phase .
Witkoff said that an American would probably belong among the next hostages this week.
The hostage publication on Thursday, the third since the ceasefire on January 19, included an Israeli female soldier, a young woman, an older man and five Thai national agricultural workers who were involved in the surprise attack on October 7, 2023 Started.
On this day in the south of Israel, around 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. Israel's massive military offensive in Gaza has left a large part of the enclaves in ruins and killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say that the majority of the dead are women and children.
As has been common since the ceasefire of this month, Israelis gathered in a plaza in the city center of Tel Aviv Plaza, which is known as the Hoste Square-Des of the months of the demonstrations to see developments on a huge video screen outdoors. The people cheered and cried when the first of them were freed in northern Gaza, a 20-year-old soldier called Agam Berger, who attacked on the day of the day.
A lot surrounds the Red Cross cars when they handed over to Khan Yunis, Southern Gaza on Thursday in Khan Yunis, Southern Gaza Strip, Thai and Israeli hostages.
(Jehad Alshrafi / Associated Press)
As in women who were freed last week, Hamas demonstrated a choreographed ceremony that Berger was dressed on stage on stage on stage in an olive drab outfit that is supposed to imitate a military uniform. However, it seemed to be composed and was soon transferred to the Red Cross and then waited to the Israeli authorities.
In Israel, the mood was tense and anxious, as a smartphone and television pictures from southern Gaza in the circular period in the landscape of Khan Yunis, except remaining hostages. One of them, the 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud, looked pale and scared when she stumbled through the mass of people and sometimes stumbled.
Before the delayed mutual release of the Palestinian prisoners, Netanyahu condemned the “shocking” circumstances of the handover and called for security measures for future publications.
“Israel demands that the mediators agree to this,” said the Prime Minister in an explanation and referred to the parties who negotiated the armistice.
The five freed Thai citizens, whose release fell outside the conditions of the ceasefire, were handed over to Thai diplomatic civil servants in Israel to prepare for the return. About 40 Thai workers, among the thousands who worked for years under dangerous conditions in agricultural communities near Gaza, were killed in the attack on October 7.
The Thai countries, which were released on Thursday, all reported that they were in good health, identified by Israel as Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Pongsak Thaenna, 36; Sathian Suwannakham, 35; Surasak Rumnao, 32; and Bannawat Saethao, 27.
Despite the national anniversary of the latest hostage return, which brings the number of Israelis previously handed over to nine since the beginning of the current ceasefire – there was a growing feeling of premonition over the fate of the remaining in Gaza. This ceasefire has been the first since November 2023 when about half of the hostages were freed.
In the first phase of the agreement, the handover of 33 Israeli prisoners is prescribed as a whole, some of them dual -state members. Hamas said eight of them are dead without publicly disclosed.
The Israeli military was in contact with the families about the status of their relatives, said Israeli news reports and added that Israel had pushed particularly in a formal word about an Israeli mother, Shiri Bibas and her two small children.
The terms of the ceasefire demanded that women and children were first freed, but on Thursday the release included a man, 80-year-old Gadi Moses. Many Israelis suggested that there was little hope for Bibas and their two children, red -haired boys, whose pictures are almost as familiar to the farmers as family photos. The youngest, Kfir, was only 9 months old when he was taken; His brother Ariel was 4.
“Today I'm incredibly happy, but I think we will soon hear news that will be very, very sad” Sea front
Negotiations on the next phase of the ceasefire are difficult to be difficult, which includes the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, the exchange of remaining hostage and Palestinian prisoners and a complete withdrawal from Israeli armed forces.
Of the Palestinians who were liberated on Thursday, 30 lifelong prison sentences in connection with fatal attacks. Although some of the prisoners were returned to families in West Bank, those who were convicted of the most serious crimes were deported.
The arrival of buses with the liberated Palestinian prisoners brought cheers to the western Bank – but also triggered new unrest. At the entrance to Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinians, reported that the Palestinian officials reported that more than a dozen Palestinians were violated by the Israeli police who fired tear gas, as well as living and rubber balls.
A total of almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are freed in the initial phase of the ceasefire.