© Reuters. Hostages who have been kidnapped by Hamas gunmen throughout the October 7 assault on Israel, wave as they’re handed over by Hamas militants to members of the Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross, as a part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israe
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By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – 13 Israeli and 4 Thai nationals launched from Hamas captivity arrived in Israel on Sunday and have been set to be reunited with their households as a part of an important hostage deal, which briefly risked falling aside attributable to a dispute over support provides.
The short-lived row over support that threatened the momentary truce to free captives was overcome with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt but it surely underscored the fragility of the settlement, via which a complete of fifty Israeli hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners over 4 days.
Tv footage confirmed hostages on the Egyptian aspect of the Rafah border crossing after leaving Gaza, as Hamas handed over the captives to the Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross (ICRC) late on Saturday. Of the 13 Israelis launched, six have been ladies and 7 have been kids and youngsters, based on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace.
“The launched hostages are on their solution to hospitals in Israel, the place they are going to reunite with their households,” the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) mentioned in an announcement.
In alternate for the Israeli hostages, 39 Palestinian civilians together with 33 minors have been going to be launched from Israeli prisons. Al Jazeera TV carried stay footage of what it referred to as a Crimson Cross bus carrying a lot of cheering Palestinian prisoners launched from an Israeli jail on its solution to Beitunia city, within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution.
A Palestinian official aware of the diplomacy mentioned Hamas would proceed with the four-day truce agreed with Israel, the primary halt in preventing since Hamas fighters rampaged via southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 individuals and taking about 240 hostages.
In response to that assault, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza, raining bombs and shells on the enclave and launching a floor offensive within the north. To this point, some 14,800 individuals, roughly 40% of them kids, have been killed, Palestinian well being authorities mentioned on Saturday.
Saturday’s swap comes after one other 13 Israeli hostages together with kids and the aged have been freed by Hamas on Friday in return for 39 Palestinian ladies and youth launched from Israeli prisons.
DISPUTE
The deal ran the danger of derailment earlier after the armed wing of Hamas mentioned it was delaying Saturday’s scheduled second spherical of hostage releases till Israel met all truce circumstances, together with committing to let support vehicles into northern Gaza.
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan mentioned solely 65 of 340 support vehicles that had entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, which was “lower than half of what Israel agreed on.”
The IDF mentioned contained in the Gaza Strip, distribution of the help was carried out by the United Nations and the worldwide organizations.
The United Nations confirmed mentioned 61 vehicles of support have been delivered to northern Gaza on Saturday, the most important quantity since Oct. 7. They included meals, water and emergency medical provides.
Al-Qassam Brigades additionally mentioned Israel had didn’t respect the phrases of the Palestinian prisoner releases and that the Palestinian detainees weren’t raised by seniority.
Qatari overseas ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari on Saturday mentioned there been “quite a lot of dialogue” on how and whom to prioritize for the releases and on the Palestinian aspect, a key criterion was the size of time spent in Israeli prisons.
“We are actually hopeful that with the second or the third day of this pause, we might be capable of hash out quite a lot of these particulars that made at the present time so tough,” he instructed CNN.
Guaranteeing that the deal didn’t collapse took a day of high-stakes diplomacy mediated by Qatar and Egypt, a course of through which U.S. President Joe Biden additionally participated by calling Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Israel has mentioned the ceasefire may very well be prolonged if Hamas continues to launch hostages at a charge of at the very least 10 per day. A Palestinian supply has mentioned as much as 100 hostages might go free.
‘HEART IS SPLIT’
Whereas Saturday turned out to be a day of high-anxiety diplomacy for Qatari and Egyptian mediators, it meant hours of nail-biting ready for the households of hostages. For some, their pleasure was overshadowed by the continued captivity of others.
“My coronary heart is cut up as a result of my son, Itay, continues to be in Hamas’ captivity in Gaza,” Mirit Regev, mom of Maya Regev who was amongst these launched late on Saturday, mentioned in an announcement launched by Hostage and Lacking Households Discussion board, a platform set as much as characterize the households.
Amongst these launched was nine-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand, who was initially thought to have been killed.
“This can be a day of huge pleasure and aid for Emily Hand and her household,” Eire Prime Minister Leo Varadkar mentioned in an announcement. “For her household, these seven weeks have been a sluggish and merciless torture,” he mentioned, including that Eire was redoubling efforts to work for a everlasting ceasefire.
For Palestinians, nonetheless, pleasure on the launch of prisoners from Israeli jails had a bitter tinge. Israeli police have been seen raiding the house of Sawsan Bkeer on Friday shortly earlier than her daughter Marah, 24, was launched. Israeli police declined to remark.
“There isn’t a actual pleasure, even this little pleasure we really feel as we wait,” mentioned Sawsan Bkeer. “We’re nonetheless afraid to really feel comfortable,” she mentioned.
