November 30th 2023.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — In a last-minute deal to extend the cease-fire in Gaza by another day, Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages on Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners.
Two Israeli women were freed in the afternoon, and in the evening, the Red Cross in Gaza received six more hostages who are being brought to Israel. In this way, at least 10 Israelis, along with other nationals, have been released during the truce. Israel was in turn to free 30 Palestinian prisoners later in the evening.
International pressure has been mounting for the truce to continue as long as possible in the wake of weeks of Israeli bombardment and ground campaign in response to Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than three-quarters of the population of 2.3 million have been uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited the region for the third time since the start of the war, and expressed his hopes for the cease-fire to be extended and more hostages to be released. He also made sure to emphasize that if Israel resumes the war and moves against southern Gaza to pursue Hamas, it must do so in “compliance with international humanitarian law” and must have “a clear plan in place” to protect civilians.
Qatar and Egypt, who have been playing a key role in mediating, are seeking to prolong the deal by another two days. However, tensions are growing as Hamas has already freed most of the women and children they kidnapped, and are expected to make greater demands in return for releasing scores of civilian men and soldiers. Roughly 140 hostages are believed to remain in Hamas captivity.
The pressure has been intensifying on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing pressure from families of the hostages to bring them home, while his far-right governing partners are pushing him to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed.
In a separate but related incident, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses along a main highway entering Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding several others. The two attackers were killed, and six other members of the family were detained. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, citing retaliation for the killing of women and children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly tense, as the cease-fire is set to expire early Friday and mediation efforts continue. Amidst the humanitarian crisis and rising violence in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, questions arise over how an Israeli ground assault backed by bombardment can avoid heavy civilian casualties, especially with most of Gaza’s population now crammed into the south with no exit.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — In a last-minute deal, Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages on Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners and the extension of the cease-fire for another day. However, any further renewal of the truce is proving to be more difficult since Hamas is expected to demand more for the remaining hostages.
Two Israeli women were released in the afternoon and six more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross and were being brought to Israel in the evening, according to the Israeli military. So far, ten Israelis a day have been released in return for the release of at least thirty Palestinian prisoners during the truce.
International pressure has been mounting for an extension of the truce since the Israeli bombardment and ground campaign began following the deadly Hamas attack on October 7. Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and most of the population of 2.3 million has been uprooted, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Israel has vowed to resume the fighting in order to dismantle Hamas once the cease-fire ends.
The cease-fire is set to expire early Friday, but international mediators are attempting to extend it. The negotiations are getting increasingly tense as Hamas has already freed most of the women and children kidnapped on October 7. The militants are now expected to make higher demands in return for releasing the remaining civilian men and soldiers, of which there are believed to be around 140.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region for his third visit since the start of the war and has expressed hope that the cease-fire can be extended and more hostages can be released. He has made it clear that if Israel resumes the war and moves against southern Gaza to pursue Hamas, it must do so in accordance with international humanitarian law and must have a clear plan in place to protect civilians.
At this time, most of Gaza's population is in the south with no exit, which raises questions about how an Israeli ground assault backed by bombardment can avoid heavy civilian casualties. Qatar and Egypt are trying to prolong the deal for another two days.
On Thursday morning, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses in Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding several others. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in retaliation for the killing of women and children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu is under huge pressure from the families of the hostages to bring them home. However, his far-right governing partners are pushing him to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed. Israel has said it will maintain the truce until Hamas stops releasing captives, at which point it will resume military operations aimed at eliminating the group. The Biden administration has urged Israel to operate with far greater precision if it does so.
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