Israel and Hamas exchange prisoners and hostages on the first day of truce since the start of the conflict in Gaza

Hamas and Israel exchanged hostages and prisoners this Friday as part of the agreement that includes four days of ceasefire in the Gaza Stripthe first since the start of the conflict on October 7.

The Islamist group Hamas freed 24 hostages, while Israel handed over 39 Palestinian prisoners.

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The Palestinian organization that governs Gaza, considered terrorist by the United States and the European Union, handed over the kidnapped people to the Red Cross, which He transported them in several vehicles across the southern border of the Strip to Egypt.

Israeli hostages

The group released by Hamas is made up of 13 Israeli citizens, 10 Thai and one Filipinoreported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, mediator in the negotiations.

Israel confirmed that its 13 citizens are already in the country.

The group is part of the 50 hostages – including women and minors – that, under the agreement, Hamas agreed to release in several batches during the four-day truce.

The Palestinian radical Islamist organization kidnapped 240 people during a massive attack on Israeli territory on October 7, in which 1,200 people died.

Israel’s response has caused some 14,000 deaths in Gaza.

The hostages transferred to Israel are in the custody of the country’s special forces and security services, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.

They indicated that those released underwent an initial medical evaluation and were transferred to hospitals in Israel, where they will be able to reunite with their families.

“The IDF, together with the entire Israeli security system, will continue to work until all the hostages return home,” the IDF said in a statement.

All members of the group They appear to be in good health.Israeli medical authorities reported.

The head of Israel’s ambulance service, Eli Bin, also confirmed that 13 of the hostages were Israelis and 11 were foreign nationals.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, declared about the release that “it is just the beginning, but so far everything has gone well.”

“We will not stop,” said the American president, until all the hostages have been returned to their homes.

Palestinian prisoners

Hours after the release of the Hamas hostages, Israel sent back to Palestinian territory 39 prisoners convicted of various crimes, mostly violent attacks against Israeli security forces.

The handover took place at the Beitunia border checkpoint in the West Bank, near the city of Ramallah, Israel confirmed.

The 39 Palestinian prisoners were chosen from a list compiled by Israeli authorities, made up of 300 women and young peoplewho have been accused of various crimes, from throwing stones to attempted murder.

The vast majority of them are detained without having been subjected to a trial and many of those on the list are male adolescents: 40% are under 18 years old.

The agreement contemplates that some 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are released.

The ceasefire came into effect this Friday after a shaky start, punctuated by sporadic sounds of explosions.

Both parties reported that the pause would be temporary and would last for four days.

BBC journalist Anna Foster, who is in southern Israel, noted that the Israeli army continued its operation until the ceasefire began, and apparently until shortly after it began.

Aid to Gaza

Since the truce began, they have entered Gaza at least 60 trucks with relief supplies.

Israel indicated that eight of them brought fuel in compliance with the agreement, which specifies the delivery of 130,000 liters daily.

This states that, each of the four days, 200 trucks carrying aid such as medical supplies, water and food, four fuel tankers and four trucks transporting cooking gas will enter Gaza through the Egyptian Rafah crossing.

“Israel insisted for many days that the fuel should not go to Gaza because they said there was already fuel that Hamas was hoarding and they feared that if they sent more fuel, the militants would take it and use it as part of their operations against Israel,” he says. journalist Anna Foster.

However, the guarantee stipulated in the agreement is that the fuel will be taken directly to the places that need itsuch as hospitals, and will not be allowed to reach Hamas.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which monitors the implementation of the pact, highlighted that the operation will also “include the delivery of additional humanitarian assistance” to Gaza.

He also expressed his intention to send medical supplies to hospitals of the strip as part of the operation.

Most hospitals, especially in the north, have stopped functioning or are overwhelmed by the rush of patients.

However, the process remains very complex: UN aid agencies are also sending supplies to Gaza, but expressed doubts today when asked if they would be able to deliver them in the north of the Strip.

Although the four-day ceasefire agreement suggests that all areas should be accessible to organizations delivering aid, Israel demanded Palestinians now displaced in the south stay there.

A call not to return

In a message posted in Arabic on social media, the Israeli military reminded Palestinians that the humanitarian pause is only temporary and warned that the war was not over and that they were prohibited from moving to the north of the territory.

According to Foster, the IDF has been dropping leaflets since the morning warning civilians inside Gaza that don’t go north.

“Due to this unusual calm, we know that many of them will take that opportunity, and have already done so, to begin returning to their homes to perhaps collect some possessions and, in some cases, to check if their homes are still in foot”.

The IDF has told them that they must remain in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. They have reiterated that the northern part is still a war zone.

“The pause is having a huge effect on civilians inside Gaza. We learned that the first public Friday prayers since the war began will be held in an open football stadium in Khan Yunis.”

Ismail Haniya, political leader of Hamas, said that the group is committed to the truce with Israel and with the hostage exchange agreement, as long as “all parties” respect it.

Haniya, who resides in Qatar and heads Hamas’s political bureau, also reportedly noted that the negotiations were “difficult.”

Children under the rubble

On the other hand, in an interview with the BBC, James Elder, a spokesman for Unicef, pointed out that Palestinians in Gaza could take advantage of the truce to search for children under the rubble.

“Maybe the ceasefire will give people the opportunity to search for their relatives“Maybe it will give families the opportunity to bury the dead,” said the official who arrived in Gaza on Thursday.

Elder indicated that everything has the marks of devastation. “Whether it’s those scared children’s faces or those shattered walls and broken windows, it all tells the story of this relentless assault.”

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The release of Palestinian prisoners: threat and symbol

Lucy Williamson, BBC News journalist from the West Bank

The bus moved slowly through a sea of ​​enthusiastic Palestinian supporters.

Through the windows you could see some of the prisoners dancing, including one wrapped in a Palestinian flag.

Outside, mobile phones glued to the window glass amid shouts of welcome and proclamations of “God is great.”

Some in the crowd waved Hamas flags, while others tonight alluded to Palestinian unity, to a small moment of victory for the Palestinians in the midst of a grueling war.

For Israel, the prisoners released tonight are a threat to its security. For the Palestinians who receive them, they are victims of Israel’s occupation, and their liberation is a symbol.