First group of hostages from the Gaza Strip released
Published: Friday, Nov 24th 2023, 18:10
Updated At: Saturday, Nov 25th 2023, 00:59
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Following the start of the ceasefire in the Gaza war, the first group of 24 hostages who were abducted in the Gaza Strip seven weeks ago have been released. They crossed the border into Egypt on Friday, according to a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. They were traveling in four vehicles and were accompanied by a doctor and seven ICRC staff members.
According to the mediator Qatar, 13 Israelis were among those released. They were released following an agreement between Israel and the Islamist Hamas. According to information from Qatar, ten Thai nationals and one Philippine citizen were also released. According to Israeli television, most of the hostages in Kibbutz Nir Oz had been kidnapped by terrorists.
In return, three Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli prisons for every hostage from Israel. According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Commission, 24 women and 15 young people are involved. The oldest is 19 years old. Before the planned release, prisoners from Damun Prison were brought to Ofer Prison between Jerusalem and Ramallah on Friday, as confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Israeli prison authorities. The prisoners are to be released near their homes in the West Bank or East Jerusalem.
According to the army, the released Israeli hostages will initially be housed in protected rooms in Israel. After an initial medical examination and treatment, they will be taken to hospitals where they can also meet their families. The released hostages are to be taken by helicopter to various clinics.
The military called on the public and the media to be patient and sensitive. "We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the released hostages and their families." Psychologists believe that the children in particular could be severely traumatized after seven weeks of being held hostage. They also witnessed the worst violence on October 7.
According to the agreement between Israel and Hamas, 50 hostages are to be released within four days. In total, the agreement reached between the two parties to the conflict provides for the exchange of up to 100 hostages from Israel for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners.
On October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out the worst massacre in Israel's history in the border region. More than 1200 people were killed on the Israeli side, including at least 850 civilians. Around 240 hostages were taken to Gaza, including several Germans. It is one of the largest hostage-takings in modern history. Four female hostages were later released and one freed. In addition, the bodies of two Israeli women were recovered by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
Israel responded to the massacre on October 7 with massive counter-attacks in the Gaza Strip, in which more than 14,800 Palestinians have been killed since then, according to the Hamas authority.
©Keystone/SDA
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