Hamas handed over 13 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip to the Red Cross on Friday afternoon. This was reported after 4 p.m. local time by both Arab and Israeli sources. This marks the next phase in the implementation of the agreement reached this week between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli television broadcast live images from the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Shortly after 5 p.m., an anonymous Israeli source reported that the hostages had arrived in Egypt. Around 4 p.m. Israeli time, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin unexpectedly announced that Hamas would release an additional twelve Thai citizens. Egypt considered this a negotiating success.
Regulations for receiving the hostages
The Red Cross later announced that a total of 24 hostages had been released. The Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that, in addition to the 13 Israelis, not twelve Thais, but ten Thais and one Filipino had left the Gaza Strip.
The reception of the Israeli hostages is being conducted within the army under the operational name "Heaven's Doors" (Daltot Shamayim). Israel has prepared intensively for this moment and established detailed regulations for receiving the hostages: According to guidelines from the Ministry of Welfare, soldiers are not to answer questions from the children about their possibly murdered parents.
The hostages are to be flown from Egypt to Israel by helicopter. They will then be reunited with their families in various hospitals. The Israeli army released pictures on Friday of a prepared helicopter and a play area for children.
Meanwhile, Israeli prisons have also been preparing for the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. Thirty-nine of them were scheduled to be released on Friday afternoon. These include women and minors (under 19 years old). Israeli media are reporting on some of the possible names and recalling the crimes for which they were imprisoned.
Peace and quiet in the north as in the south
The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, agreed upon as part of the agreement, came into effect at 7:00 a.m. local time on Friday. Although sirens wailed again a quarter of an hour later in two towns near the border, Israel has been quiet ever since. A drone alert in Eilat turned out to be a false alarm, according to the army.
The last alert in the north was triggered on Thursday evening. This suggests that Hezbollah in Lebanon is also taking a break.
The Israeli army announced this morning that it had completed its military preparations along the ceasefire lines. Prior to this, the armed forces destroyed a number of tunnel shafts near the Shifa Hospital. During the night, the army also continued its offensive against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the West Bank.
The armed forces further stated that on Friday morning four trucks carrying fuel and four trucks carrying cooking gas crossed the Rafah border crossing into South Gaza. This took place as "part of the ceasefire".
Reports from Gaza this morning indicated that people were attempting to return to the northern part of the coastal enclave. According to Arab reports, the army used firearms. An Arab army spokesman clarified that the war was not over and that returning to the northern Gaza Strip was forbidden. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) stated on Thursday that the war would continue "intensely" following the ceasefire. Victory must be achieved, he said, and "at least two more months of fighting" were to be expected.
Differing opinions
In Israel, the government's decision to enter into an agreement with Hamas terrorists is being hotly debated. Within the cabinet, only the ministers from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party of Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against the agreement. Even the critical Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritsch, a political ally of Ben-Gvir, initially opposed the deal but ultimately voted in favor.
The press presents differing arguments for and against the agreement, with discussions sometimes drawing on various Jewish teachings. For example, the Jerusalem Post pointed out in its Friday editorial that the Talmud postulates the release of prisoners (Pidyon Shvuyim) as "a supreme commandment." The agreement, it argued, is a "necessary first step" toward bringing all hostages back.
Critical comments, however, are increasingly found in right-wing media. For example, the website of "Makor Rishon," a newspaper of religious Zionism, states: "By signing the agreement, Netanyahu, Gallant, and (Minister Benny) Gantz are once again granting Hamas the status of a partner. This will not convince the world that it is a demon." The article is headlined: "A deal with Hamas: a failure in Israel's Second War of Independence.".
The 13 Israeli hostages released today are reportedly only the first group. The agreement stipulates the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian security detainees and a four-day ceasefire. According to the agreement, if the ceasefire continues, further hostages could be released. It is unclear whether Hamas officials themselves have an overview of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Conflicting reports also exist regarding whether the Red Cross will be allowed to visit all remaining hostages. (Israelnetz)
