Status: 26.11.2023, 00:16
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Israeli army tanks near the border with the Gaza Strip. © Tsafrir Abayov/AP/dpa
About seven weeks ago, they were brutally abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip by Islamists. Now another group of hostages is safe - including four German dual nationals.
Gaza/Tel Aviv - After the start of the ceasefire in the Gaza war, the Islamist Hamas has released a second group of hostages, including four German dual nationals. This was announced by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Sunday night on Platform X, formerly Twitter.
The Red Cross brought 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens across the border into Egypt in the evening, according to the Israeli military. According to Qatar, eight minors and five women are said to be among the released Israelis.
According to the army, the convoy with the released hostages first drove to the nearby Israeli border crossing Kerem Shalom. There, security representatives wanted to check the list of names.
On Friday, 24 hostages were released: 13 Israelis and 11 foreigners. Among them were four German-Israelis.
It was initially unclear whether dual nationals were among the released Israelis. After an initial medical examination, they will first be flown to hospitals in Israel. There they will also meet their families.
39 Palestinian prisoners should be released
In return, 39 Palestinian prisoners were to be released from Israeli jails in the evening. According to Hamas, six of them are women and 33 male youths under the age of 19. The detainees are to be released near their homes in the West Bank or East Jerusalem.
Just hours before the release of the hostages, Hamas had unexpectedly halted a last-minute surrender. The reason given by the terrorist organization was that, in its view, Israel had violated part of the hostage deal. Among other things, she accused Israel of not having allowed sufficient aid deliveries to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Israel rejected this and threatened to cancel the agreement, which was brokered by Qatar. After Qatari intervened, Hamas relented late in the evening.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas stipulates that for every hostage taken from Israel, three Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails. The day before, 39 Palestinian prisoners had been released.
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Ceasefire to last four days
The pause in fighting is expected to last at least four days. According to the agreement, a total of 50 hostages are to be released during this period. An extension of the ceasefire to up to ten days is possible, as the Gulf emirate Qatar, which is mediating in the conflict, had announced.
The most recent Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, which was carried out by terrorists from the Gaza Strip on October 7 in Israel near the border. More than 1200 people were killed. About 240 hostages were taken to Gaza, including several Germans.
Israel responded with massive air strikes, a blockade of the Gaza Strip, and launched a ground offensive in late October. According to the Islamist Hamas, almost 15,000 people were killed. More than 36,000 were injured. The figures cannot be independently verified at this time. Dpa