Hamas releases Israeli, Thai hostages under ceasefire

Hamas has released 13 Israelis and four foreigners in a second round of swaps under a ceasefire deal in Gaza after a delay due to a dispute over aid.

Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals released from Hamas captivity have arrived in Israel in the second step of a crucial hostage deal that briefly risked falling apart due to a dispute over the delivery of aid supplies into Gaza.

The short-lived dispute that threatened the temporary truce to free captives was overcome with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt, but it underscored the fragility of the agreement, under which a total of 50 Israeli hostages are to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners over four days.

Television footage showed hostages on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing after leaving Gaza, as Hamas handed over the captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross late on Saturday.

Of the 13 Israelis released, six were women and seven were children and teenagers.

“The released hostages are on their way to hospitals in Israel, where they will reunite with their families,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

Among the Palestinian prisoners released, six were women and 33 were minors, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Some of those released arrived at Al-Bireh Municipality Square in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where thousands of citizens were waiting for them, according to a Reuters witness.

A Palestinian official familiar with the diplomacy said Hamas would continue with the four-day truce agreed with Israel, the first halt in fighting since Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza, raining bombs and shells on the enclave and launching a ground offensive in the north.

Some 14,800 people, roughly 40 per cent of them children, had been killed, Palestinian health authorities said.

Saturday’s swap comes after the initial release of 13 other Israeli hostages including children and the elderly by Hamas on Friday in return for the release of 39 Palestinian women and youth from Israeli prisons.

Hamas on Friday also released 10 Thai farm workers and a Filipino.

The deal ran the risk of derailment earlier on Saturday after the armed wing of Hamas said it was delaying the second round of hostage releases until Israel met all truce conditions, including committing to let aid trucks into northern Gaza.

It said only 65 of 340 aid trucks that had entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, which was “less than half of what Israel agreed on.”

The IDF said that inside the Gaza Strip distribution of the aid was implemented by the United Nations and international organisations.

The United Nations said 61 trucks of aid were delivered to northern Gaza on Saturday, the largest number since October 7.

The Hamas armed wing also said Israel had failed to respect the terms of the Palestinian prisoner releases and that prisoners were not freed based on their time in detention.

Ensuring the deal did not collapse took a day of high-stakes diplomacy mediated by Qatar and Egypt, a process in which US President Joe Biden also participated by calling Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 a day.

A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.

Saturday also meant hours of nail-biting waiting for the families of hostages.

Among those released was nine-year-old Irish-Israeli Emily Hand, who was initially thought to have been killed.

She spent her ninth birthday in captivity and was released alongside 12-year-old Hila Rotem, whose mother remains in captivity.

“We are overjoyed to embrace Emily again, but at the same time, we remember Raya Rotem and all the hostages who have yet to return,” Hand’s family said in a statement.

For Palestinians, joy at the release of prisoners from Israeli jails had a bitter tinge.

Freed prisoner Shorouk Dwayyat, who had served half of her 16-year prison term, told Al Jazeera TV she felt joy mixed with pain.

“I feel like I am in a dream, but I hope that the war on Gaza will stop as soon as possible.”

The 13 hostages have been identified as Shoshan Haran, 67, her daughter Adi Shoham, 38, and Adi’s children Naveh and Yahel, ages eight and three, respectively.

Also freed are Shiri Weiss, 53 and her daughter, Noga, 18, Sharon Avigdori, 52 and her 12-year-old son, Noam, siblings Noam and Alma Or, ages 17 and 13, respectively.

Also released were Maya Regev, 21, Hila Rotem, 12, and nine-year-old Emily Hand.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said:“I admit to mixed feelings about the release of hostages: on one hand, I was elated to see the release of the young children, mums and the elderly, but on the other, I felt sadness when I thought of the other hostages who are still being held.

Yes, we welcome their release, but we cannot celebrate until all the hostages are freed – and the genocidal movement Hamas has been removed from Gaza.

We know the effort to remove Hamas is far from complete and we acknowledge remarks from Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant who said that the intense fighting in Gaza could take at least two more months.

However, the Australian Jewish community is firm in its support of Israel and its aim to dismantle Hamas so that the terrorist organisation cannot launch further attacks on Israel and its citizens.

The Australian Jewish community also greatly appreciates the support of State and Federal Australian leaders and the wider community in these difficult times – especially in light of growing and very disturbing antisemitism here and around the world.

Finally, we continue to pray for the remaining hostages and their families and friends as well as those grieving the more than 1200 slaughtered by Hamas on October 7 and the 70 soldiers killed in fighting since the terrorist attacks.”

By: Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell/Reuters with J-Wire