More hostages in Gaza before release
Following the extension of the ceasefire in the Gaza war by two days, there is great hope that more hostages will be released. In the evening, Israel and the Islamist Hamas agreed to extend the initial four-day ceasefire until Thursday morning.
On Monday evening, Hamas released a further eleven hostages, including two Germans. In return, Israel released 33 Palestinian prisoners from various prisons. During the night, the Israeli government received a further list of people earmarked for release.
List of hostages being examined
The people on the Hamas list are likely to be released today, reported the Times of Israel, citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. This would be the first group to be released from the Islamists' control following the extension of the ceasefire. According to the newspaper, it was not clear from the announcement how many hostages could be released. Other media reported ten people.
Since Friday, 69 hostages have been released, including ten German dual nationals. In return, another group of 33 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli prisons yesterday, as the Israeli prison authorities announced in the evening. The prisoners were women and teenagers. The youngest teenager was reportedly 14 years old. This brings the total number of Palestinian prisoners released since Friday to 150. Those released so far had been sentenced for knife attacks on Israelis, arson and attacks with firebombs or stones, among other things.
According to the Times of Israel, the extended pause in fighting could lead to the release of around 20 more hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas during the brutal terrorist attack on October 7. In total, the militants abducted around 240 people in the Gaza Strip at the time. Around 1200 people were killed. Since then, Israel has launched a ground offensive against Hamas.
Germans among those released
Hamas handed over eleven hostages to the Red Cross in the evening as part of the ceasefire, according to the Israeli army. According to Israeli media reports, nine of the hostages were children and teenagers and two women. The group of hostages included two German teenagers, as Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter. Around 20 of the abducted people also had German citizenship.
After 52 days of suffering and despair, the teenagers' mothers were able to embrace them again, Baerbock wrote on X. "I think of the families who continue to worry. We are doing everything we can to ensure that they too can embrace their loved ones again." According to a spokeswoman for the Israeli hostage families, the German nationals were two teenage brothers.
People to be medically examined
Monday's group was the fourth group of hostages to be released since the ceasefire began. The people should first be medically examined and then be able to meet their families. In addition to the two Germans, there were also three French children aged 12 and 16, according to the Foreign Ministry in Paris. According to the ministry, five French people are still missing.
The spokesman for the Israeli government, Eilon Levi, said before the release on Monday that 184 hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip. Of these, 14 were foreigners and 80 Israelis with a second passport. The youngest of the hostages, a ten-month-old baby, had not yet been released. The boy had been kidnapped with his parents and his four-year-old brother.
US Secretary of State wants to visit Israel again
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit Israel and the West Bank again this week for further talks on the hostages. He will also address Israel's right of self-defense and discuss the protection of civilians during the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in Washington. Blinken also wanted to discuss further steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state and the need to prevent the conflict from spreading. His ministry did not say when Blinken would arrive in the Middle East region.
What will be important today
Following the extension of the ceasefire, the release of further hostages from the Gaza Strip is expected in a possible exchange with Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Organizations are also likely to continue trying to bring aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is also continuing his trip to the Middle East with a visit to Oman - an influential state in the region.
- Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, intends to visit Israel and the West Bank this week for discussions on the hostages, focusing on the release of more individuals, Israel's right of self-defense, and the protection of civilians during the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.
- As part of the ceasefire extension negotiations, both Israel and Hamas are expected to release more hostages today, with around 20 additional hostages possibly being freed, given the reports from the Times of Israel.
- The EU, through diplomatic channels, has been actively involved in mediating ceasefire extensions and hostage releases in the Middle East conflict, with EU leaders urging both sides to respect international law and protect civilians.
- Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, acknowledged the upcoming potential release of hostages and voiced his hope that the ceasefire would continue to hold, allowing for further negotiations and a resolution to the ongoing conflicts in the Gaza Strip.
Source: www.dpa.com
