Israel-Hamas complete new exchange, ceasefire nears first phase, Tel Aviv continues to receive 'backing' from Washington

On February 15, Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners, with just over two weeks left until the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire ends. On the same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel, starting a tour of the Middle East.

Israeli hostages are escorted onto a stage by Hamas soldiers before being handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, February 15. (Source: KNDU)

Israelis breathed a sigh of relief when the three hostages were released in relatively good health, including Iair Horn (46 years old, Argentine-Israeli nationality), Sagui Dekel Chen (36 years old, American-Israeli nationality) and Alexander Troufanov (29 years old, Russian-Israeli nationality). Previously, the hostages released last week showed signs of serious exhaustion.

Images from the scene showed armed militants marching three emaciated, exhausted hostages through a crowd before handing them over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Israel later released 369 Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire nearly collapsed amid a dispute between the two sides, but Hamas announced on February 13 that it would continue the prisoner exchange after Egyptian and Qatari mediators pledged to remove barriers to allow Israel to bring more tents, medical supplies and other necessities into Gaza.

Consider extending ceasefire

According to the Times of Israel , as the first phase of the ceasefire agreement is about to end on March 1, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that Benjamin Netanyahu will hold security consultations to discuss the future of the agreement. Attending the meeting are Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and his incoming successor - Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet Security Director Ronen Bar.

Israeli public opinion believes that Mr. Netanyahu wants to speed up the release of the six remaining hostages, who are expected to be released over the next two Saturdays. At the same time, the Israeli Prime Minister is also seeking to extend the current phase of the agreement, in order to ensure the release of more hostages, especially those with critical health conditions.

US supports Israel on Gaza decision

According to the Jerusalem Post , Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said the IDF is "preparing an attack plan" and continues to make major efforts to rescue all hostages.

In a statement on February 15, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to US President Donald Trump for his leadership and firm stance in pushing for the hostages’ release. “The combination of the IDF reinforcement around the Gaza Strip and President Trump’s firm stance allowed us to recover the three hostages today – despite Hamas’ previous refusal to release them,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli prime minister stressed Washington's full support for Tel Aviv's decisions on the Gaza issue. Mr. Trump affirmed that if Hamas does not release all hostages by 12 noon on February 15, the US "will support" whatever action Israel chooses in response.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/israel-hamas-hoan-tat-dot-trao-doi-moi-lenh-ngung-ban-sap-ket-thuc-giai-doan-dau-tel-aviv-tiep-tuc-nhan-chong-lung-tu-washington-304484.html