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JERUSALEM — The delicate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was again on observe Sunday because the militants freed 17 extra hostages, together with 14 Israelis and the primary American, in a 3rd set of releases below a four-day truce that the U.S. mentioned it hoped can be prolonged.
Some hostages have been handed over on to Israel, whereas others left by Egypt. Israel’s military mentioned one was airlifted on to a hospital. U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned the aged girl was “very sick and was in want of fast medical assist.”
The hostages ranged in age from 4 to 84 and included Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old woman whose mother and father have been killed within the Hamas assault that began the warfare on Oct. 7. “What she endured was unthinkable,” Biden mentioned of the primary American freed, including he didn’t know the kid’s situation however may affirm she was safely in Israel. He didn’t have updates on different American hostages and mentioned it was his objective to increase the cease-fire deal so long as doable.
In all, 9 youngsters ages 17 and youthful have been on the listing, in accordance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace. Individually, Hamas mentioned it had launched one of many Russian hostages it was holding, “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin” and as a present of appreciation for Moscow’s place on the warfare. The Russian-Israeli citizen was the primary male hostage to be freed.
Israel was to free 39 Palestinian prisoners later Sunday as a part of the deal. A fourth alternate is anticipated on Monday — the final day of the cease-fire throughout which a complete of fifty hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. All are girls and minors.
Worldwide mediators led by the U.S. and Qatar try to increase the cease-fire.
Forward of the most recent launch, Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip, the place he spoke with troops. “We’re making each effort to return our hostages, and on the finish of the day we are going to return each one,” he mentioned, including that “we’re persevering with till the top, till victory. Nothing will cease us.” It was not instantly clear the place he went inside Gaza.
The cease-fire settlement has introduced the primary vital pause in seven weeks of warfare, marked by the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in many years and huge destruction and displacement throughout the Gaza Strip.
Greater than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two thirds of them girls and minors, in accordance with the Well being Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The warfare has claimed the lives of greater than 1,200 Israelis, largely civilians killed by Hamas within the preliminary assault.
Hamas and different militant teams seized round 240 folks through the incursion into southern Israel that ignited the warfare. Fifty-eight have been launched, one was freed by Israeli forces and two have been discovered lifeless inside Gaza.
Households from the southern Israeli city of Kfar Aza embraced, cried, and applauded on the information that the hostages from their city had arrived in Israel. Greater than 70 members of the kibbutz of round 700 folks have been killed and 18 have been kidnapped.
“I will likely be so excited to see her,” Shacher Fuchter, 10, mentioned of her good friend Ela Elyakim, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
Stress from hostages’ households has sharpened the dilemma dealing with Israel’s leaders, who search to remove Hamas as a navy and governing energy whereas returning all of the captives.
The cease-fire, which started Friday, was brokered by Qatar and Egypt and the US. Israel has mentioned the truce will be prolonged by an additional day for each further 10 hostages freed, however has vowed to rapidly resume its offensive as soon as it ends. Sullivan mentioned the U.S. is working “with all sides on the likelihood that this deal will get prolonged to further hostages past the preliminary 50.”
Hamas introduced the dying of Ahmed al-Ghandour, who was in command of northern Gaza and a member of its prime navy council. He’s the highest-ranking militant identified to have been killed within the preventing. Israel’s navy confirmed the dying.
Al-Ghandour, believed to have been round 56 years outdated, had survived no less than three Israeli makes an attempt on his life and was concerned in a cross-border assault in 2006 wherein Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier, in accordance with the Counter Extremism Undertaking, an advocacy group primarily based in Washington.
Hamas mentioned that he was killed together with three different senior militants, together with Ayman Siam, who Israel says was in command of Hamas’ rocket-firing unit. The Israeli navy talked about each males in a Nov. 16 assertion, saying it had focused an underground advanced the place Hamas leaders have been hiding.
The Israeli navy claims to have killed 1000’s of militants, with out offering proof, together with a number of mid-ranking commanders it has recognized by title.
The pause has given some respite to Gaza’s 2.3 million folks, nonetheless reeling from relentless Israeli bombardment that has pushed three-quarters of the inhabitants from their properties and leveled residential areas. Rocket fireplace from Gaza militants into Israel additionally went silent.
Battle-weary Palestinians in northern Gaza, the place the offensive has targeted, returned to the streets. Whole metropolis blocks in and round Gaza Metropolis have been gutted by airstrikes that hollowed out buildings and left drifts of rubble.
In southern Gaza, the place lots of of 1000’s of individuals from the north have sought refuge, residents lined up outdoors gasoline stations, hoping to replenish on gas. Palestinians who’ve tried to return to the north to see if their properties are intact have been turned again by Israeli troops.
“Many are determined to return to their properties, however they open fireplace on anybody approaching from the south,” mentioned Rami Hazarein, who fled from Gaza Metropolis final month.
The Israeli navy has ordered Palestinians to not return to the north or method inside a kilometer (round a half-mile) of the border fence. The Palestinian Crimson Crescent rescue service mentioned that Israeli forces opened fireplace Sunday on two farmers in central Gaza, killing one and wounding the opposite. It did not present additional particulars. An Israeli navy spokesperson mentioned they weren’t conscious of the incident.
The United Nations mentioned the truce has made it doable to scale up the supply of meals, water, and medication to the most important quantity because the begin of the warfare, although it nonetheless hasn’t reached prewar ranges. It was capable of ship gas for the primary time because the warfare started, and to succeed in areas within the north for the primary time in a month.
The freed hostages have largely stayed out of the general public eye. Hospitals mentioned their bodily situation has been good, except for one who was shot through the assault and required surgical procedure. Little is publicly identified in regards to the situations of their captivity.
Eyal Nouri, the nephew of Adina Moshe, 72, who was freed on Friday, mentioned his aunt “needed to regulate to the daylight” as a result of she had been in full darkness for weeks.
The launched Palestinians included no less than two girls who had been given lengthy sentences after being convicted by Israeli courts of violent assaults. Many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, together with these implicated in assaults, as heroes resisting occupation, and have celebrated their launch.
The warfare in Gaza has been accompanied by a surge in violence within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution. Palestinian well being authorities mentioned Sunday that 5 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli navy raid within the northern West Financial institution metropolis of Jenin that started the day earlier than. The toll within the West Financial institution is now 239 because the warfare started.
The Israeli military has carried out frequent navy raids and arrested lots of of Palestinians because the begin of the warfare, largely folks it suspects of being Hamas members.
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Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem, and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
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Full AP protection at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
