Second group of Hamas-held hostages released after hours-long delay; Temporary cease-fire holds

A second group of 17 hostages who had been held captive in Gaza since being kidnapped by Hamas militants within the Oct. 7 terror assault on Israel have been launched late Saturday night time after an hours-long delay as a part of the short-term cease-fire settlement brokered by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt. In change, one other 39 Palestinian girl and kids jailed in Israel have been additionally freed. 

There have been 13 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals launched, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace stated in a press release. There have been seven Israeli kids ranging in age from 3 to 16, and 6 Israeli ladies ranging in age from 18 to 67 launched, the workplace introduced.

Amongst these freed was 9-year-old Emily Hand, an Israeli-Irish woman who was initially believed to have been killed by Hamas. 

“Emily has come again to us! We won’t discover the phrases to explain our feelings after 50 difficult and sophisticated days,” her household stated in a press release to CBS Information. 

The hostages have been initially transferred by the Crimson Cross throughout southern Gaza’s Rafah border into Egypt. The 13 Israeli hostages have been then flown to Israel, the place they’d be medically evaluated at hospitals earlier than being reunited with their households. 

Their launch got here after an hours-long delay Saturday when Hamas accused Israel of not complying with the cease-fire’s phrases. 

One U.S. supply instructed CBS Information that the delay was over the tempo of support coming into Gaza.    “That is placing the deal in peril and we’ve got spoken to mediators about that,” Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official stated in Beirut, the Related Press reported.

Nonetheless, Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s international ministry, stated in a press release that “obstacles have been overcome” with the assistance of Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and Hamas lastly agreed to launch the hostages.

Israeli Protection Forces confirmed the hostages had been freed in a press release Saturday night time, saying that “after present process an preliminary medical evaluation” the hostages “will proceed to be accompanied by IDF troopers as they make their technique to Israeli hospitals, the place they are going to be reunited with their households.”

In change, one other 39 Palestinians — 33 kids and 6 ladies — who have been jailed in Israel have been additionally launched Saturday, Al-Ansari disclosed. The freed prisoners have been transferred to the occupied West Financial institution by the Crimson Cross, as the primary group of launched prisoners was on Friday. 

Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson instructed CBS Information that President Biden spoke with Qatari leaders by cellphone a number of instances Saturday in an effort to resolve the holdups.

A White Home official described the president, who’s spending Thanksgiving weekend along with his household in Nantucket, Massachusetts, as enjoying a “central position” within the Gaza negotiations. 

All this adopted the discharge of an preliminary group of 24 Hamas-held hostages on Friday — the primary day of the cease-fire — consisting of 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals and a Filipino citizen. The launched Israelis ranged in age from 2 to 85 and included a number of moms and 4 kids, the Israeli authorities stated. 4 hostages, two Individuals and two Israelis, have been launched by Hamas final month.

Israeli intelligence has been receiving a listing of the names of the hostages who’re anticipated to be launched in every group previous to their handover. The households of these hostages launched in Saturday’s second group got early notification on Friday night time, Netanyahu’s workplace stated. 

The cease-fire, which took impact Friday morning after frantic diplomatic efforts, requires a pause within the preventing and the discharge of some 50 Hamas-held hostages, all ladies and kids, over the course of 4 days. In change, 150 Palestinian ladies and kids held in Israel would even be launched.

Previous to Friday’s swap, Israel estimated that there have been about 240 hostages nonetheless being held by Hamas. Officers didn’t point out Saturday roughly what number of are nonetheless being held captive.

The four-day cease-fire settlement permits for a whole bunch of support vans to enter the devastated Gaza Strip. The United Nations stated that 200 vans carrying humanitarian support — together with meals, water and medical provides — crossed into southern Gaza from Egypt by way of the Rafah crossing Friday within the hours after the cease-fire started. 4 vans of gasoline and 4 tanks of cooking gasoline have been additionally delivered into Gaza, the U.N stated.

Egyptian and Israeli officers had stated that about 200 support vans will enter Gaza each day in the course of the ceasefire.

Nonetheless, a U.S. supply aware of the cease-fire deal instructed CBS Information Saturday that Hamas believed the variety of support vans which got here into Gaza on Friday and Saturday have been under the agreed upon quantity, which contributed to Saturday’s standoff. The ultimate deal agreed to by either side had been 200 vans each day, which was decrease than an earlier draft settlement that known as for 300 vans a day, the supply stated. 

These provides have been gradual to trickle in to Gazans, who on Saturday waited in limitless traces for the much-needed support.

The supply added that Hamas was additionally annoyed over the sequence during which Palestinian prisoners have been being launched. Those that had been longest held have been alleged to be launched first, in response to the phrases. 

In the meantime, three Individuals are anticipated to be among the many 50 slated to be freed as a part of the deal. In complete, as much as 10 Individuals stay unaccounted for for the reason that Hamas assault. 

On Friday, Mr. Biden stated the U.S. didn’t know when the Individuals held hostage shall be launched, or all of their circumstances. Amongst them is 4-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, whose dad and mom have been gunned down by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. On Saturday morning, a senior Biden administration official stated they didn’t count on the American hostages to be launched right this moment.  

“We’re early within the course of that may see not less than 50 ladies and kids launched in the course of the first section of the settlement,” the official stated. “We’re hopeful that may embrace three twin nationwide ladies and kids, who’re Americans. It will unfold over the approaching days. We won’t touch upon particular person instances as the method is underway.”

In protecting its finish of the deal, Israel on Friday launched a primary group of 39 Palestinian prisoners — 24 ladies and 15 teen boys. 1000’s gathered within the occupied West Financial institution village of Beitunia on Friday to greet them after they have been free of three Israeli prisons.

The Crimson Cross oversaw their switch, first to the West Financial institution’s Ofer Jail, after which to Beitunia.

Israeli forces had gathered outdoors Ofer Jail forward of the change, the place some Palestinians threw stones at Israeli troopers. CBS Information cameras confirmed one Palestinian who was shot within the leg with a reside spherical earlier than being rushed into an ambulance.

Noman Abu Naeem instructed CBS Information his 16-year-old son Ahmed was on the record of Palestinian prisoners because of be launched Friday. Naeem stated his son had been jailed for a few yr after allegedly being arrested for becoming a member of a protest.

 “Like anybody who was dying to see their son, we have been thrilled,” he stated of his response to studying of his son’s pending launch.

Among the many Israeli hostages launched Friday was Doron Katz-Asher and her two daughters, ages 2 and 4. They’d been kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz.

Israeli authorities beforehand stated a few quarter of the Nir Ouncess residents, which is positioned a few mile-and-a-half from the Gaza border, have been both massacred or taken hostage by Hamas militants on Oct 7.

“I simply broke down in tears,” Dori Roberts, a cousin of Doron Katz-Asher, instructed CBS Information Friday. “I needed to stroll away and let every little thing go. It was a really thrilling second.”

The hostages have been bussed to Israel, the place their first cease was a army base for a well being evaluation, after which onto helicopters sure for Israeli hospitals and their ready households.

Mr. Biden stated Friday he thought “the probabilities are actual” for the short-term pause within the preventing to be prolonged, and that he stays involved with the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Israel “to ensure this stays on monitor and each facet of the deal is carried out.”

An hour into the short-term truce Friday, CBS Information cameras captured the moments that Israeli troopers fatally shot not less than two Palestinians in an effort to dam them from returning to evacuated northern Gaza. 

CBS Information producer Marwan al-Ghoul reported that between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals had begun to journey north from the southern Gaza metropolis of Khan Younis regardless of leaflets dropped by Israel Protection Forces warning them towards it. They encountered a line of Israeli tanks at a crossover level in central Gaza after they have been fired upon. 

Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s international ministry, confused to reporters Thursday that whereas Qatar was serving as an middleman between the 2 sides, it will be on Israel and Hamas to take care of the tenets of the cease-fire settlement. 

Greater than 1,200 individuals, most of them civilians, have been killed by Hamas militants throughout their Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, in response to the Israeli army.

The Hamas-run Gaza Well being Ministry says virtually 15,000 individuals have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s retaliatory floor incursion and airstrikes, and the United Nations estimates that 1.7 million of the territory’s roughly 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced by the warfare.

— Margaret Brennan, Lilia Luciano, Imtiaz Tyab, Tucker Reals, Elias Lopez, Caitlin Yilek, Bo Erickson, Khaled Wassef and Holly Williams contributed to this report.

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