22 November 2023 , 22:34
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Child hostages held by Hamas are set to be freed this morning after weeks of tense negotiations.
A complex truce will see a four-day pause in Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, starting at 8am local time. Four groups of Israeli hostages – with 12 or 13 in each – will be handed over by Hamas at about 10am.
But Tom Hand, whose daughter Emily, nine, is among those held, said: “I will believe it when I see it.” It is understood the Red Cross will escort the hostages to the Rafah crossing at the border with Egypt. In return, 150 Palestinians will be freed from Israeli jails and 300 trucks of aid will go into Gaza.
Irish national Emily Hand was one of the child hostages snatched from Israel by Hamas (AP)Details of how the day will play out – including when the Palestinian prisoners will be returned – remained uncertain. And the Israel Defence Forces insisted they had not agreed to a ceasefire. Lt Col Richard Hecht said: “Our terminology is an operational pause.”
More than 11,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza in the past 47 days. Palestinian officials can no longer track the death toll as the health system has collapsed and it has become increasingly difficult to retrieve bodies.
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The recent outbreak of violence began on October 7, when Hamas killed over 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 240 to take as hostages.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: “We welcome every hostage who returns home, yet our demand remains unchanged – the immediate release of all the hostages. Securing the safe release of every hostage is a national priority. There is no victory until every last hostage returns home.”
People walk past a screen with images of each of the 240 hostages (ABIR SULTAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Brit Nadav Popplewell, 51, is among the hostages. His sister, Ayelet Svatitzky, said: “We have been here so many times before, but I am not going to get my hopes up.” No men over 18 are expected to be among the first groups to be freed.
The sister of 19-year-old Karina Ariev, Alexandra, said “every minute, every hour, is critical” for the hostages, adding: “Every one of them needs to come home. Not in coffins. They should come home to tell their stories, to tell the stories of the people who were murdered.”
An injured child after Israeli attacks at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah (Anadolu via Getty Images)United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: “This is an important step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.” World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for efforts to free the remaining hostages, and for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel’s justice ministry last night published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who will be among those freed. It includes at least 33 women and 123 children. The youngest detainees are 14, while the eldest is a 59-year-old woman. Most are still awaiting trial on charges ranging from stone-throwing to attempted murder.
The “truce” was approved by the full Israeli cabinet early yesterday morning by 35 votes to three. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was heard telling White House diplomat Brett McGurk: “We need this deal.”
Pope Francis held meetings with Israeli families of hostages and with Palestinians with relatives in Gaza. The Pontiff told his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square: “I heard how both sides suffer.” The IDF says it has destroyed 400 tunnel shafts in the Gaza Strip since the start of its ground offensive.