An American child is expected to be freed by Hamas in the coming days in a round of hostage releases that was due to get underway Friday as part of a four-day ceasefire.
The child, a girl, is scheduled to be joined by two more Americans in the release of an initial 50 hostages, all of whom will have spent 7 weeks in captivity after being snatched from Israel on Oct. 7. On Friday, the first 13 of the hostages are due to be released.
The guns finally fell silent in Gaza after almost two months of carnage at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET). The steady rumble of trucks bringing aid into the beleaguered enclave has been heard since early Friday morning.
At least 60 trucks have been reported entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing so far. One of the vehicles carrying goods from an Egyptian NGO was draped in a banner that read: “For our brothers in Gaza.”
Only a trickle of aid has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 massacre, leaving Palestinian civilians in desperate need of supplies, fuel and medication.
The Israeli Defense Force reminded Palestinians that the ceasefire was only a brief cessation of hostilities and civilians will not be allowed to return to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip to collect supplies or additional clothing as the weather turns wintry.
“The war is not over yet,” spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X. “The humanitarian pause is temporary. The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south.”
Those still in the north of the Strip will be allowed to move south over the next four days so long as they use the main Salah al-Din Road.
The first hostages were due to be released at around 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET). It is thought they will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, who will accompany them to the border.
Six hospitals in Israel are on standby with pediatric care and mental health counselors ready to take care of those who have suffered an extraordinary trauma. Israel’s Ministry of Health has said that the hospitals will be banned from releasing any photos or information about the condition of the hostages as they are nursed back to health.
Lists of the hostages who will be released were handed to the Israeli authorities on Thursday but the names have not yet been made public. Some families revealed that they had already been told that their loved ones were not on the release list.
In return, Israel will released 150 prisoners, mostly women and teenagers, who are being held on minor charges including throwing stones.
Three U.S. Hostages to Be Freed as Gaza Ceasefire Begins
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24.11.2023
An American child is expected to be freed by Hamas in the coming days in a round of hostage releases that was due to get underway Friday as part of a four-day ceasefire.
The child, a girl, is scheduled to be joined by two more Americans in the release of an initial 50 hostages, all of whom will have spent 7 weeks in captivity after being snatched from Israel on Oct. 7. On Friday, the first 13 of the hostages are due to be released.
The guns finally fell silent in Gaza after almost two months of carnage at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET). The steady rumble of trucks bringing aid into the beleaguered........
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