Hamas releases 24 hostages on first day of Gaza
ceasefire
On day of high tension, Israel also releases
Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian convoy enters Gaza
Israel-Hamas
war: latest updates
Jason Burke
in Jerusalem
Fri 24 Nov
2023 22.37 CET
The first
group of hostages walked free from Gaza on Friday on a day of high tension and
profound relief – but also acute concern for the future after weeks of
relentless violence in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Twenty-four
hostages were released by Hamas – 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Philippine
national – as part of a deal that has brought about a temporary pause in
hostilities and includes the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
There was
celebration in Israel and a day of relative calm in Gaza, where thousands have
been killed and more than 1 million people displaced. But though the deal has
raised hopes of a more durable ceasefire, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, vowed he would not end Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas.
The 13
Israelis had reached their home country by early evening. Several were
recognised by friends and neighbours from their kibbutz communities. They
included very young children whose seven-week ordeal in captivity is finally
over after they were abducted during bloody attacks launched by Hamas last
month.
A total of
39 Palestinian prisoners – 24 women, including some convicted of attempted
murder for attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers jailed for offences such
as throwing stones – were also released by Israel on Friday evening. Some had
not seen their homes for many years.
The
four-day ceasefire marks the first break in seven weeks of war in Gaza and
offers some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians who have endured intensive
Israeli bombardment, as well as for families in Israel fearful for the fate of
their loved ones taken captive during the attack that triggered the conflict.
Under the
agreement, Hamas is due to free at least 50 of the approximately 240 mostly
Israeli hostages it has held since launching attacks into southern Israel on 7
October in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed. In return, Israel
will release at least 150 Palestinian prisoners and allow up to 300 trucks of
humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Netanyahu
hailed the return of the Israeli hostages, among them an 85-year-old woman and
a two-year-old girl.
“Each of
them is an entire world. But I emphasise … we are committed to returning all
the hostages. This is one of the aims of the war and we are committed to
achieving all the aims of the war,” Netanyahu said.
Israel said
it had received a list of hostages set to be freed by Hamas on Saturday
following Friday’s release. Israeli security officials were reviewing the list,
Netanyahu’s office said.
The
ceasefire, initially lasting four or five days, was announced early on
Wednesday and has raised hopes for a more durable pause in the violence.
The Israeli
offensive on Gaza has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them
children, according to Palestinian officials. More are thought to be buried
under rubble.
Underlining
the fragility of the four-day pause, an alert sounded in Israel 15 minutes
after the ceasefire began at 7am, warning of a possible incoming rocket from
Gaza targeting a village in southern Israel, followed by reports of the sound
of artillery firing from Israel.
But through
the morning and into the afternoon a relative calm seemed to have been
established across much of Gaza.
In a
surprise development, the Thai prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, said a number
of Thai hostages had been released. They are thought to be farm workers who had
been employed in communities around Gaza where Gelienor Pacheco, from the
Philippines, was a carer.
The
Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, said he was “overjoyed” to confirm the
release.
“He is now
safely in the custody of officials in our Israel Embassy,” Marcos said on X
(formerly Twitter). “I salute the work of the Philippine foreign service in
securing his release, and once again thank the state of Qatar for their
invaluable assistance in making Jimmy’s release possible.”
Marcos said
the search for a second missing person was continuing.
Thailand’s
ministry of foreign affairs said 10 Thai hostages had been released and their
families had been notified.
“This group
will stay in the hospital for at least 48 hours, while RTE [the royal Thai
embassy] will make all the necessary arrangements for their travel back to
Thailand and their families as soon as possible,” the ministry said in a
statement.
The
hostages were transferred out of Gaza and handed over to Egyptian authorities
at the Rafah border crossing, accompanied by the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC).
“The deep
pain that family members separated from their loved ones feel is
indescribable,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the
Near and Middle East. “We are relieved that some will be reunited after long
agony.”
The Israeli
military said the hostages had undergone an initial medical assessment inside
Israeli territory.
The
released hostages were then flown to medical facilities around Israel, where
they would be reunited with loved ones. There was celebration among hostages’
families and supporters gathered in Tel Aviv.
“We
couldn’t wait for the hours to pass,” said Corinne Moshe, the daughter-in-law
of released hostage Adina Moshe, 72.
Her husband
and his siblings were waiting at a hospital to reunite with their mother, she
told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.
Corinne’s
son Erez said he was waiting to see his grandmother.
“I miss her
very, very much. I want her to be back already. I want to have dinner with her
and the entire family again.”
The
Schneider Children’s Medical Centre said it was treating eight Israelis – four
children and four women – and that all appeared to be in good physical
condition, according to Associated Press. The centre said they were also
receiving psychological treatment, adding that “these are sensitive moments”
for the families.
The vocal
campaign led by the families has been a significant factor in pushing Netanyahu
to accept a deal with Hamas, an organisation he has sworn to “crush”.
“We hope
the picture will be beautiful at the end of the day,” Ziv Agmon, a legal
adviser to Netanyahu’s office, told reporters, adding that Israel would “follow
the agreement”.
Ismail
Haniyeh, the main political leader of Hamas outside Gaza, said in a recording
on Friday that the Islamist group was committed to the agreement, struck after
lengthy and complex talks mediated by Qatar, the US and Egypt, as long as
Israel was committed as well.
In the
occupied West Bank, families waited anxiously throughout the day for news of
the prisoners due to be freed.
Two white
coaches, escorted by armoured vehicles, were seen leaving the Ofer military
camp in the West Bank during the early evening.
The
Palestinian prisoners inside the buses were greeted by large crowds on reaching
the Beitunia checkpoint, many of whom chanted “God is great”, and bursts of
fire crackers lit up the night sky.
They
included Malak Salman, who was arrested seven years ago for trying to stab a
police officer in Jerusalem. Now 23, she was returned to her home in Beit
Safafa, in annexed East Jerusalem, under Israeli police escort.
“The police
are in our house and are stopping people coming to see us,” her mother, Fatina,
said. “My daughter is weak, she has not eaten since yesterday.”
The
exchange of female and child hostages and prisoners was initially scheduled for
Thursday afternoon but was postponed as last-minute logistical issues were
worked out during 24 hours of frantic diplomacy.
The
agreement includes a halt to Israeli military flights over southern Gaza, with
air activity over northern Gaza restricted to six hours a day. Israel has
agreed not to arrest anyone in Gaza for the duration of the truce, according to
a Hamas statement.
Reports
suggest that if the first exchanges go well, and Hamas can locate more female
hostages or children, there will be further releases on both sides. Some
sources have suggested the ceasefire could last up to 10 days as a result.
Aid trucks
began entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt about 90 minutes after the ceasefire
began at 5am local time.
Humanitarian
officials said the aid was a fraction of what was needed, and that there were
robust procedures to prevent Hamas commandeering fuel and other basics, a
concern voiced repeatedly by Israeli officials. An almost total blockade of
Gaza by Israel had led to acute shortages of all essentials and “catastrophic”
conditions, aid agencies said.
Medical
facilities have been wrecked across the territory, and doctors have described
trying to treat “overwhelming” numbers of seriously injured casualties with
inadequate supplies.
Swaths of
northern Gaza have been destroyed and up to 1 million people displaced. Israel
says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for
its count.
The Israeli
Defence Forces (IDF) told residents of Gaza the war was not over. “The
humanitarian pause is temporary,” it said on social media. “The northern Gaza
Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your
safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south.”
A similar
message was repeated in leaflets dropped over southern Gaza, where almost all
Gaza residents are living after being told to leave the north, where fighting
between the IDF and Hamas has been the most intense.
Despite the
warnings, many joyful but wary Palestinians emerged from makeshift shelters in
southern Gaza at the start of the ceasefire to attempt the long journey back to
their homes in the north of the territory. Many found their way barred by
Israeli troops.
The Israeli
defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has described the ceasefire as “a short
respite, at the end of which the fighting will continue intensely”.
“We will
create pressure to bring back more hostages. At least another two months of
fighting is expected,” he said.
Israel’s
northern border with Lebanon was quiet on Friday, a day after Hezbollah, an
ally of Hamas, carried out the highest number of attacks in one day since
fighting there began on 8 October.
The
militant Islamist movement and militia is not a party to the ceasefire
agreement, but was widely expected to halt its attacks.
Rebecca
Ratcliffe contributed to this report
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