Hamas begins releasing hostages.

Hamas said it had freed 13 Israelis, three Thais, and one Russian national. The International Red Cross also said it had successfully transported 17 hostages out of Gaza.

Videos on Reuters TV showed that many Palestinian prisoners were also released from Israeli prisons last Sunday.

Hamas has stated its desire to extend the ceasefire if Israel takes serious steps to consider the possibility of releasing more Palestinian prisoners.

US President Joe Biden said he expects the ceasefire to last as long as hostages are released. He hopes Hamas will release more American hostages, but there is currently no certainty about this possibility.

Biden revealed that four-year-old Abigail Edan, the hostage, witnessed the deaths of her parents in the October 7 attack and has been held hostage ever since.

"What the child witnessed was unimaginable."

The four-day ceasefire is the first temporary halt in fighting in seven weeks since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages to Gaza.

In response to this attack, Israel pledged to destroy Hamas, ordered bombings of Gaza, and launched a ground offensive in the north. Approximately 14,800 Palestinians were killed, and hundreds of thousands were forcibly displaced.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with security forces in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. He also said he had discussed the release of hostages with Biden and indicated he was willing to extend the ceasefire if an additional 10 hostages were released each day.

However, Netanyahu also stated that, during discussions with Biden, he affirmed that once the ceasefire ends, "we will launch a full-scale offensive to achieve our goals: to destroy Hamas, ensure Gaza returns to its former state, and of course, to free all hostages."

One farmer died.

The death of a Palestinian farmer in central Gaza has fueled concerns about the fragility of the current ceasefire.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the farmer was killed in an attack by Israeli forces from the east of the Maghazi refugee camp.

The armed wing of Hamas said on Sunday that four of its commanders in Gaza had been killed, including the commander of the North Gaza Brigade, Ahmad Al Ghandour. However, the organization did not specify the time of his death.

Qatar, Egypt, and the US have urged all parties to extend the ceasefire beyond Monday, but it remains unclear whether such a decision will be made.

World - Hamas begins releasing hostages — Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

Israel said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release at least 10 hostages each day. A Palestinian source said up to 100 hostages could be released.

Violence on the West Bank

Six of the 13 Israelis released on Saturday were women, and seven of them were children and minors. The youngest, three-year-old Yahel Shoham, was released along with her mother and older brother, but her father remains held hostage.

Palestinian state media outlet WAFA reported that Israel has released 39 Palestinians, including 6 women and 33 minors.

Some Palestinians went to Al-Bireh City Square in Ramallah in the West Bank, where thousands greeted them with porridge.

Local sources and medical personnel in the West Bank reported that violence erupted late Saturday and early Sunday after Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians, including two young children and at least one gunman.

Even before the October 7 attack, the West Bank had been steadily unstable, with increased Israeli military raids, a growing number of Palestinian attacks, and escalating violence from Israeli settlers over the past 18 months. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, some in Israeli airstrikes.

The prisoner exchange on Saturday followed the previous day's decision to release 13 Israeli hostages, including many young children and elderly people. This was an agreement reached by Hamas in exchange for the freedom of 39 Palestinians, including women and children, held in Israeli prisons.

Four Thai nationals were released on Saturday "wanting to be cleaned and to contact relatives," Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told X. He said they were all safe and had no major complications.

In a phone call with Reuters, Thongkoon Onkaew expressed his feelings after his 26-year-old son Natthaporn was released: "I am so happy, I am so overjoyed, I cannot describe my current emotions."

Peaceful days

The agreement was jeopardized when Hamas's armed wing announced on Saturday that it would delay the release of hostages until Israel fulfilled the terms of the agreement, including allowing trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Qatar and Egypt, along with the presence of US President Joe Biden, spent a day negotiating to salvage the deal.

Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades assert that Israel has not fulfilled its terms of the agreement regarding the release of hostages based on the length of their captivity.

COGAT, Israel's civil coordination agency with Palestinians, accused Hamas of delaying trucks carrying humanitarian aid into North Gaza at checkpoints.

"For Hamas, the people of Gaza are not a priority."

Many people had also been waiting for the release of the hostages last Saturday, and the joy of some was somewhat dampened by the fact that others were still being held captive.

Mirit Regev, mother of Maya Regev, who was freed late Saturday, said in a statement at the Forum for Families of Missing or Hostaged Persons: “I feel confused because my son, Italy, is still being held captive by Hamas.”

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

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