Egyptian officials said Hamas had released 12 Thai nationals and 13 Israelis, including women and children. The hostages were taken to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid head north to Gaza during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City. (Photo: Reuters)
Israel and Hamas have reached a four-day ceasefire agreement starting November 24. According to the agreement, Hamas will release 50 hostages while Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners and facilitate increased aid to people in the Gaza Strip.
Under the Qatar-brokered deal, 39 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will also be released, while trucks carrying aid will also enter Gaza.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he had received confirmation of the release of 12 Thai citizens from Gaza. "Embassy staff are on their way to pick them up," he wrote on Twitter.
The Israeli prime minister confirmed that 13 of his country's citizens were in Egypt with the Red Cross. The Israel Defense Forces said they would pick up the hostages by helicopter and transport them to Hatzerim air base.
Palestinian Red Crescent spokesman Nebal Farsakh said about 200 aid trucks were expected to enter Gaza today. However, this number is a drop in the bucket compared to the 500 trucks that delivered aid to the area daily before the conflict broke out.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society continues to campaign and call on the international community to pressure Israel to allow regular humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
“The situation has gone beyond dire at the humanitarian level and the health level… The entire health sector is now collapsing in this ongoing escalation,” Farsakh said.
Mi Vi
Source
Comment (0)