Celebrations have erupted in multiple West Bank cities following the release of 39 Palestinian women and children detainees from Israeli prisons. This group comprised at least 24 women and children. Israel also freed some convicted prisoners, including those jailed for attempted murder in attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers incarcerated for offenses such as stone-throwing.
According to The Guardian UK, some of the released prisoners may not have seen their families for many years. Before their release, Israeli police reportedly raided the homes of three prisoners’ families in Jerusalem.
In the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the Israeli hostages freed from Gaza had arrived in Israel and undergone medical checks. Among the released hostages were four German-Israeli dual nationals: Aviv Asher (2 years old), Raz Asher (4 years old), Doron Katz-Asher (34 years old), and Margalit Mozes (77 years old). Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, confirmed this information.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced in a news conference that the released hostages, comprising 13 Israelis and 11 foreigners, had undergone medical tests and were in good condition. The freed hostages were being taken to Hatzerim airbase for further physical and mental checkups, and to contact their families.
The convoy of Red Cross vehicles transported some of the hostages across the border between Gaza and Egypt after Hamas handed them over to the humanitarian organization.
This release of hostages is part of a temporary truce agreed upon by both parties in the conflict-ridden Gaza. As part of the deal, Israel is set to release three times as many Palestinian prisoners—women and teenage boys—during a four-day truce. Approximately 50 hostages are expected to be freed, with an estimated 190 remaining in the hands of Palestinian militants. In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released.
U.S. President Joe Biden described the pause in fighting as a “critical” opportunity to deliver essential supplies such as food, medicine, water, and fuel to civilians in Gaza. He emphasized the urgent efforts to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian aid with the UN and the Red Cross, noting that over 200 trucks carrying vital supplies had arrived at the crossing point in Egypt into Gaza on Friday