After hostages are released, truce extension comes into force

The extension of the truce in the fighting between Israel and Hamas came into force after the release of hostages by the armed group and prisoners by the Israeli government this Monday (27).

Mark Regev, senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had confirmed to Dana Bash, CNN, the two-day extension of the original agreement was reached, adding that it would begin after the hostage transfer was completed.

United States President Joe Biden praised the pause in fighting and highlighted that “we will not stop until all hostages held by Hamas terrorists are released.”

This Monday, 11 people detained by Hamas were released, having successfully arrived at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center, the largest intensive care unit in Israel, as confirmed by the Israeli Ministry of Health.

There are nine children and two women in the group, all of whom were residents of kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, according to an official statement from the kibbutz. These people also have dual citizenship, as announced by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The families of the hostages are waiting at the hospital to be reunited for the first time in about 50 days, the statement said.

Medical teams and other hospital professionals will be present to provide any medical or psychological assistance, the ministry added.

‏”We want to remind you that these are delicate times for the freed hostages and their families and we wish to preserve their privacy. The entire health system is prepared to receive anyone returning to Israel and is preparing for tomorrow,” said the note.

In exchange, 33 Palestinians were released from several Israeli prisons on Monday, the Israeli prison service said. They were released from Damon, Megiddo, Ofer, Ktzi’ot, Ramon and Nafha prisons, according to the service.

So far, Hamas has released 69 hostages, mainly women and children. Israel, in turn, released 150 Palestinians from prison, mainly women and minors, many of whom were detained but never formally charged.

Next steps

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that the military will fight harder when the truce ends and that the operation will be carried out throughout the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel and other locations in the Middle East this week.

He will discuss sustaining the flow of humanitarian aid to the enclave, “the future of Gaza” and the need for an independent Palestinian state, a State Department official said.

Regarding the release of more hostages, there is a problem for international authorities to face, as not all of the approximately 240 people detained during the October 7 attack are, or were, under the power of Hamas.

A CNN previously reported that between 40 and 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other groups. The truce agreement requires Hamas – not any other group – to hand over hostages.

More than 14,800 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza between October 7 and November 23, according to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, which draws its data from Hamas-run health authorities in the Gaza Strip.

This includes at least 6,000 children and 4,000 women, according to the statement.

*published by Tiago Tortella, from CNN

*with information from CNN