Khan Yunis of the Gaza Strip (AP) – Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange between hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, leaving only two weeks left in the early stages of the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Not there.
The Israelites expressed their relief as three hostages – Argentina-Israel Iair Horn, 46. Sagui Dekel Chen of American Israel, 36; and 29-year-old Alexander Torfanov of Russian Israel, appeared to be in better condition than the weakened one who was released a week ago.
Before reuniting with his family, Torfanov was informed of his father’s death in a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, causing a 16-month war. Chen met his youngest daughter for the first time. Horn’s brother, Eitan, remains bred.
Armed, masked militants walked the pale, worn-out man on stage to speak to the crowd before handing over to Khan Yunis’s southern Red Cross. 369 Palestinian prisoners were later released.
A tense conflict at the beginning of the week threatened to derail the ceasefire and renew the fighting in Gaza. President Donald Trump’s proposal to remove more than 2 million Palestinians and resolve them elsewhere in the region also rocked the truce.
However, Hamas said Thursday that Mediator Egypt and Qatar had pledged to “remove all hurdles” to ensure Israel allows more tents, medical supplies and other essentials to the destroyed Gaza. He said he would proceed with the planned exchange.
Trump posted on social media on Saturday that “hostages appear to be in good condition.” hostage. The US supports the decision they make! ”
Israel has not imposed such a deadline and is not part of the ceasefire contract. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it would convene a cabinet as soon as possible to determine the next step.
On the occupied West Bank, released prisoners were greeted by cheerful crowds. Some showed Gantt and Palestinian Red Crescent Emergency Service said four people had been hired for treatment. The bus transported 333 other people to Gaza.
The ceasefire came into effect on January 19th. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners were released during the first phase of the armistice.
The ceasefire concludes in early March and faces a bigger challenge. There were no substantial negotiations in the second phase. Hamas releases all remaining hostages to end the war.
Hostages and prisoners were released
The three hostages had been accused of Kibbutz Nir Oz, the community that was a hard hit in the October 7 attack.
Horn was accused by his brother. The brothers are not expected to be released during the first phase of the Cerez Fire.
“Now we can breathe a little. Our Iair will be at home after surviving hell in Gaza,” his family said. “Now we need to get Eitan back so that our families can really breathe.”
Chen worked outside when the militants burst into the air. His wife, Avital Dekel Chen, was hiding in a safe room with her daughter. She gave birth to her third daughter two months later. She told Israeli media that she was happily overwhelmed to see her husband back in Israel, where she met his youngest daughter, Shacha.
Torfanov, whose father was killed, was taken hostage with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The woman was released during a short ceasefire in November 2023. His family said on Saturday that they were “overwhelmed by emotions and gratitude.” The Russian government also expressed its gratitude.
Of the 251 people accused during the attack on October 7th, 73 were left in Gaza, with half believed to be dead. Almost all of them are men, including Israeli soldiers.
There is growing concern about their condition. The hostage of 65-year-old Keith Siegel told Trump on Friday in a video message that his prisoner made him worse, kicked him, spit him out, and hugged him without water or light. I said in a message.
The released Palestinian prisoners included a life sentence for 36 servings for their involvement in a deadly attack on Israelis.
They include Ahmed Barguthi (48), an extremist leader and close aide to iconic Palestinian politician Marwan Barguthi. Israel declared Ahmed Barguti on accusations of sending suicide bombers during the Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s in an attack that killed Israeli civilians.
Twenty-four of those serving the life sentence were exiled overseas, while 12 returned to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“When I saw my son, my soul returned to me again and I came back to life,” he said in 2002, and was sentenced to life in prison for voluntary manslaughter, planted an explosive device and murdered him. said Om Bashar, who was sentenced to life in prison for attempted trial.
Israel has also pledged to release more than 1,000 people detained from Gaza, unless they were involved in the attack on October 7th.
The Israeli prison released the Palestinians in a sweatshirt decorated with the phrase “Never forgive, never forget” and the phrase star. Several of the people released to Gaza threw sweatshirts on the ground and burned them.
Certain fires remain fragile
Netanyahu’s far-right allies are calling for the war to resume in March, with the goal of destroying Hamas. Extremist groups continue to control the territory after one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.
Hamas may not want to release more hostages if they believe the war will resume.
The new challenge is Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians welcomed by the Israeli government from Gaza. However, it was rejected by the Arab countries and the Palestinians. Human rights groups say transfers can be a war crime under international law.
Trump also suggests that once the war ends, Israel transfers control of Gaza to the United States, which will redevelop it as the “Middle Eastern Riviera.”
At that height, the war drove 90% of Gaza’s population to 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands of people returned home during the ceasefire, but many found only tile rubs, human remains and unsolved weapons.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the war killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Israel says it killed more than 17,000 militants without providing evidence.
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Bwaitel reported from Beitunia on the West Bank, while Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Waafa Shurafa from Deir Al-Balah, Samy Magdy from Gaza Strip and Cairo contributed to this report.
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