Hamas begins handing over Israeli hostages

Hamas handed implicit the archetypal 7 of 20 surviving Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives successful Gaza connected Monday, with a convoy of the humanitarian organisation connected its mode to prime up a 2nd group.

In Tel Aviv, a immense assemblage gathered to enactment hostage families erupted successful joy, tears and opus arsenic quality broke of the archetypal releases, which came aft 2 years of warfare successful Gaza.

Under a ceasefire statement brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas is owed to merchandise each surviving hostages connected Monday successful speech for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The releases came arsenic Trump arrived successful Israel for a lightning sojourn up of a travel to Egypt for a bid summit, having declared the warfare “over”.

“According to accusation provided by the Red Cross, 7 hostages person been transferred into their custody, and are connected their mode to IDF and ISA forces successful the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli subject and information work said.

In a aboriginal statement, the service said a Red Cross convoy was connected its mode to prime up a 2nd radical of hostages.

Among those gathered connected Hostages Square successful Tel Aviv, Noga shared her symptom and joyousness with AFP.

“I’m torn betwixt emotion and sadness for those who won’t beryllium coming back,” she said.

– ‘Nothing looked the same’ –

On October 7, 2023, militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas’s unprecedented onslaught connected Israel, which led to the deaths of 1,219 people, astir of them civilians.

All but 47 of the hostages were freed successful earlier truces, with the families of those who person remained successful captivity starring lives of changeless symptom and interest for their loved ones.

In Gaza, too, the ceasefire has brought relief, but with overmuch of the territory flattened by war, the roadworthy to betterment remains long.

“I returned to Sheikh Radwan with my bosom trembling,” 38-year-old Fatima Salem told AFP aft she returned to her neighbourhood successful Gaza City.

“My eyes kept searching for landmarks I had mislaid — thing looked the same, adjacent the neighbours’ houses were gone.

“Despite the exhaustion and fear, I felt similar I was coming backmost to my harmless place. I missed the odor of my home, adjacent if it’s present conscionable rubble. We volition transportation a structure adjacent to it and hold for reconstruction.”

– ‘War is over. Okay?’ –

Trump’s sojourn to the Middle East aims to observe his relation successful brokering past week’s ceasefire and hostage merchandise woody — but comes astatine a precarious clip arsenic Israel and Hamas negociate what comes next.

Under the US president’s projected roadmap, erstwhile the Palestinian militants person handed implicit the surviving hostages, Israel volition statesman releasing astir 2,000 detainees successful exchange.

Israel expects each 20 surviving hostages to beryllium released to the Red Cross “early Monday morning”, according to a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Speaking to reporters connected Air Force One astatine the commencement of the “very special” visit, Trump brushed disconnected concerns astir whether the ceasefire would endure.

“I deliberation it’s going to hold. I deliberation radical are bushed of it. It’s been centuries,” helium said of the fighting.

“The warfare is over. Okay? You recognize that?” the US president added.

In Israel, Trump is owed to conscionable the families of hostages, earlier addressing the Israeli parliament successful Jerusalem.

– Final details –

His travel is partially a triumph thigh implicit the Gaza woody helium helped broker with a 20-point bid program announced successful precocious September.

“Everybody’s precise excited astir this infinitesimal successful time,” Trump said earlier arsenic helium prepared to committee the level astatine Joint Base Andrews adjacent Washington.

Negotiators were inactive wrangling precocious Sunday implicit the last arrangements for the exchanges, with 2 Hamas sources telling AFP the radical was insisting that Israel see 7 elder Palestinian leaders connected the database of those to beryllium released.

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