Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday, and Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners, extending a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which appears to be wandering a few days ago.
Hostages – Alexander Torfanov, known as Sasha, is 29 years old. Iair Horn, 46; and 36-year-old Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, was one of the few Americans still in Gaza, but after 16 months in captivity, he was significantly thinner and thinner. It’s become. They were accused of Israeli border village Neil Oz on October 7, 2023 in a Hamas-led attack, sparking a war in Gaza.
However, they didn’t look as debilitating as the three hostages released last Saturday.
Palestinian extremists aimed to demonstrate that they still dominate Gaza despite catastrophic artillery fires and catastrophic artillery fires and ground invasion in response to the 2023 attacks To do the show, we used the sixth exchange, which was made under the first phase of the ceasefire, again.
Dozens of gun-bearing fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad will feature Torfanov, Horn and Dekel Chen on the stage of Gaza city Kazanis, giving a speech in Hebrew. In this way, I began to give speeches on Hamas portraits. Leader of the stage behind them.
On the stage, the militants displayed photos of Matan Zangauker, an Israeli hostage still in confinement, and her mother, Ainav Zangauker, campaigning for his freedom. They were shown along with an hourglass and the words “Time is gone.”
The militants carrying Israeli weapons later gave Mr. Horn an hourglass.
In a recent jab by President Trump, Palestinians calling for Masten to leave Gaza, the flag on stage read, “There are no migrations other than Jerusalem.” Hamas, and much of the Arab world, have rejected Trump’s proposal in full.
For at least for now, the exchange could maintain a ceasefire. However, the long-term future of the armistice remains uncertain. The arrangement, which began in late January, is set to expire in early March unless Israel and Hamas agree to an extension.
The first phase of the ceasefire took several months of hard negotiations to be agreed, and Israel and Hamas rarely began serious consultations on the next phase. Release of Israeli forces and the rest of the living hostages from Gaza. More than 70 hostages (many of which are estimated to be dead) remain in Gaza.
When the hostages were released on Saturday, hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s square cheered, waving Israeli flags and shed tears of joy as they saw the handover on a big TV screen.
This relief was a major shift from the shock and rage that Hamas released three Gantts last Saturday, releasing clearly malnourished hostages, forcing them to thank their prisoners. This time, the prisoners did not give thanks to the hostages.
“Three pieces have returned to my heart,” said Doron Zexer, a well-known hostage advocate. “The joy I have now is perfect.”
Viki Cohen, the mother of an Israeli soldier, was still captured in Gaza, but in an interview he said the happiness of seeing more hostages was alleviated by anguish and uncertainty.
“We’re on a crazy roller coaster,” Cohen said. Her son, Nimrod, is not among the hostages expected to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire. “We’re doing everything in our power to make him come back,” she said.
The released Palestinian prisoners included 36 serving life sentences for attacks on the Israelites. They also included that more than 300 Gazans were detained since the outbreak of the war. Most such detainees have not been formally charged with any crime and have often been held in bone communicado for a long period of time.
Israeli prison officials put on a sweatshirt carrying a phrase in Arabic.
Israeli prisons also tied a horrifying message around some of the prisoners’ wrists.
“We will never forget the eternal nation,” read one message, an Arabic adaptation of the famous Hebrew phrase. “I will chase the enemies and seize them.”
Without naming political parties, the International Committee of the Red Cross challenged how hostages and detainees were released. The Red Cross serves as a neutral intermediary for ceasefire transport.
“Even though we repeatedly ask for all transfers to be performed in a dignified and private way, all aspects, including mediators, need to do more to improve future transfers,” the statement said. It states.
When ten of the freed Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah, on the west bank of the Israeli occupation of Jordan River, they were jackets handed over to cover their sweatshirts. Hassan Oweis, 47, a former member of Palestinian Security Services, was one of those prisoners. His family has not seen him outside the prison since his arrest in 2002 during an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Oweis was later convicted of several terrorism, including two militants who killed two civilians and injured scores in northern Israel in November 2001, according to Israeli court records. Ta. Records show that Oweis denied the charges.
To celebrate his freedom, a crowd of wealthy people lifted Mr. Oweis on his shoulder. “The first time we met him at a bar,” said his son Shadi, 25. “The most precious moment,” said Maryam, Oweis’ mother.
However, I felt “painful and anxious.”
The Oweis family has been expelled from Jenin’s home where Israeli forces employ a massive operation for saying that they are extremists planning an attack on Israelis. . Thousands of Jenin residents were forced from their homes as Israeli soldiers fought against Palestinian gunmen and destroyed many buildings.
A few days ago, when Hamas threatened to delay the release of hostages, the ceasefire appeared to risk collapse. Israel accused them of violating the Armistice Agreement, including not sending sufficient tents and other aid to Gaza.
Israel threatened to resume the war if Hamas did not relent. Trump escalated the threat, warning that any remaining person must be released by noon on Saturday or that “all hell will break out.”
By Friday, Israel and Hamas had indicated that the conflict had been resolved for now.
And on Saturday, Trump appears to be keeping his distance from his ultimatum, posting on social media how he will handle the deadline “Israel must now decide.” “The United States supports the decision they will make!” he wrote.
Israeli leaders have not accepted Trump’s ultimatum crucially and are willing to continue as per the terms of the first phase of the ceasefire.
Israel and Hamas were supposed to begin negotiations last week for the second part of the deal. However, the lull in consultations has prompted serious concerns about the future of multi-stage transactions.
To reach the second phase, painful concessions on one side or both may be required. Israel vowed not to end the war until the end of Hamas rule in Gaza. There may also be political prices for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For some of it, Hamas mostly renounced control of Gaza and refused to exile its leader. The group is also worried about removing the best insurance against a new Israeli invasion by handing over hostages, the most valuable negotiation tip.
Either Israel or Hamas will need to blink to maintain the ceasefire. For now, neither of them has done so, leaving the future of a ceasefire in the air.
Reported by Patrick Kingsley, Lara Jakes and Michael Levenson.
