Israel releases Palestinian prisoners after hostages freed
by AFP, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/afp/ · TheJournal.ieLAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago
PALESTINIAN PRISONERS HAVE been freed after Israel suspended their release following chaos that erupted during the handover of seven captives.
Hamas today freed three Israeli hostages and five Thais. The Israeli army has said all eight hostages are now on Israeli soil.
Israel said it has since received assurances from international mediators that there will be a “safe release” of Gaza hostages during future exchanges.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced what he called “shocking scenes” during the releases which came under a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
First to be freed was Israeli woman soldier Agam Berger, 20, handed over to International Committee of the Red Cross officials in Jabalia in the north of the Palestinian territory.
Before she was freed, footage of a sombre Berger showed her on a stage with masked Hamas members in distinctive green headbands, being prompted to wave to onlookers.
Israel’s military said Berger was being taken to hospital for medical treatment.
In devastated Khan Yunis, dense crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of Yehud and Moses ahead of their release near the childhood home of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in October.
Ahead of the release, Islamic Jihad aired video footage of Moses and Yehud hugging each other and smiling.
On Wednesday, the Moses family said it had “received with great excitement the wonderful news of our beloved Gadi’s return”.
Netanyahu in a statement slammed “the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages”.
The Red Cross has called for “improvements” in the security of the handovers.
Television images had shown gunmen struggling to control hundreds of Gazans gathered to witness the handover.
“This is yet another proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organisation,” Netanyahu said.
A fourth exchange is scheduled for the weekend, but Hamas accused Israel of jeopardising the deal by holding up aid deliveries, an allegation Israel dismissed as “fake news”.
Tánaiste Simon Harris welcomed today’s exchanges, saying the flow of aid “needs to continue at speed”.
“We need to see a return of basic services, the provision of shelter, and a clear framework under which those who have been displaced by the conflict can return.”
The ceasefire that began on 19 January hinges on the release of Israeli hostages taken during Hamas’s 7 October, 2023 attack, in exchange for 1,900 people – mostly Palestinians – in Israeli custody.
Advertisement
Before today, Hamas had released seven hostages, with 290 prisoners freed in exchange.
Israel is to release 110 prisoners, including 30 minors, in exchange for the three Israelis, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said.
The next swap on Saturday will see three Israeli men released, according to Netanyahu’s office.
Aid trucks row
The truce deal has allowed truckloads of aid into the devastated Gaza Strip, where the war has created a long-running humanitarian crisis.
However, senior Hamas officials accused Israel of slowing aid deliveries, with one citing key items such as fuel, tents, heavy machinery and other equipment.
COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, called this “totally fake news”.
As the text of the agreement – mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States – has not been made public, AFP was not able to verify its terms on aid.
Displacement ‘injustice’
The ceasefire deal is currently in its first, 42-day phase, which should see 33 hostages freed. The Thai hostages are not included in that number.
Next, the parties are due to start discussing a long-term end to the war.
The third and final phase should see the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of any remaining dead hostages.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for sealing the agreement despite it taking effect before his inauguration, and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who took part in the talks, met Netanyahu in Israel on Wednesday.
Trump has invited Netanyahu to the White House on 7 February, according to the premier’s office.
After the truce began, Trump touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to relocate to neighbouring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.
However, both Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II rejected this.
More than 376,000 displaced Palestinians have gone back to northern Gaza since Israel reopened access earlier this week, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA, with many returning to little more than rubble.
“My house is destroyed,” 33-year-old Mohammed Al-Faleh told AFP.
“The biggest problem is that there is no water – all the water wells are destroyed,” he added.
“Food aid is reaching Gaza… but there is no gas or electricity. We bake bread on a fire fuelled by wood and nylon.”
Israel was to cut ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from Thursday following accusations it provided cover for Hamas militants, a move likely to hamper delivery of its vital services after 15 months of war in Gaza.
UNRWA, which has long been the lead agency in coordinating aid to Gaza, will be banned from operating on Israeli soil, and contact between it and Israeli officials will also be forbidden.