Hamas releases 17 more hostages on second day of Gaza ceasefire

“13 Israelis and four foreigners have been received by the ICRC and are on their way to Rafah,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told X. The release of the second hostage was briefly delayed earlier due to a dispute over aid supplies to northern Gaza.

Hamas releases 17 more hostages on second day of Gaza ceasefire photo 2 — Hostages sit in the back of a Red Cross vehicle during the second hostage exchange in Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Hamas releases 17 more hostages on second day of Gaza ceasefire photo 3 — Hostages sit in the back of a Red Cross vehicle during the second hostage exchange in Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Dramatic hostage exchange

Television footage showed Red Cross vehicles in Rafah crossing Gaza and Egypt, with hostages seen looking visibly distressed after nearly two months of captivity and a dramatic last-minute negotiation.

Al Ansari earlier said the short-term delays and obstacles to the hostage release had been overcome through contacts between Qatar and Egypt with both sides, adding that in return 39 Palestinian prisoners would be released.

Among the Israeli hostages, eight are believed to be children and five are women, while the Palestinians released from Israeli prisons will include 33 children and six women.

According to the White House, US President Joe Biden spoke with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, about the delay in the hostage deal. About 3.5 hours after the call, the Qatari side said the deal had been restored and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was receiving the hostages.

Hamas' armed wing earlier said it would delay a second scheduled hostage release on Saturday until Israel met all ceasefire conditions, including a commitment to allow aid trucks into northern Gaza.

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said only 65 of the 340 aid trucks that entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, “less than half of what Israel agreed to”.

The Al-Qassam Brigades also said Israel had failed to honor the terms of the release of Palestinian prisoners. Qadura Fares, the Palestinian commissioner for prisoners, said Israel had not released the detainees as scheduled.

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a member of Israel's war cabinet, told Channel 13 News that Israel is "abiding by the agreement" with Hamas that Qatar brokered.

Israel says 50 trucks carrying food, water, shelter and medical supplies have been deployed to northern Gaza under UN supervision, the first major aid delivery there since the fighting began.

"Dreams come true"

Under the deal, a total of 50 hostages will be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners during the first four days of the fighting. Israel said the truce could be extended if Hamas continued to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 a day. A Palestinian source said up to 100 hostages could be freed.

Hamas releases 17 more hostages on second day of Gaza ceasefire photo 4 — Two child hostages were reunited with their families in Israel after 50 days of captivity in Gaza. Photo: AP

The first hostages released by Hamas have now been reunited with their families. After nearly 50 days of captivity in Gaza, 9-year-old Ohad Munder ran down a hospital corridor in Israel into the arms of his father, according to a video released by the hospital.

Gilat Livni, the hospital's pediatrics director, told reporters that the boy and three other children released at the same time were in relatively good condition. "They shared their experiences, we stayed up with them late into the night and it was interesting, emotional and touching," Livni said.

“I dreamed that we were going home,” said Raz Asher, just four years old, as she sat in her father’s arms on a hospital bed after she, her mother and her younger sister were rescued. “Now the dream has come true,” her father, Yoni, replied.

For Palestinians, however, the joy at the release of prisoners from Israeli jails is bittersweet. Israeli police were seen raiding the home of Sawsan Bkeer on Friday, shortly before her 24-year-old daughter, Marah, was released. “There is no real joy… We are still afraid to feel happy,” she said.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters, AP, CNN)

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