Jubilation as first Israel hostages freed including kids as young as 2-years-old
After seven weeks of fear and uncertainty as Hamas captives, the ordeal for 24 hostages finally ended with their release tonight.
There were scenes of jubilation when four Red Cross jeeps carrying 13 freed Israelis, 10 Thai workers, and a Filipino, were driven out of Gaza through the Rafah crossing and into Egypt. Among them were five children, the youngest aged just two.
As a four-day truce in the fighting came in, around 60 trucks loaded with food, water and medicine were allowed into the besieged region, where the death toll has reached 14,500 as Israel tries to wipe out Hamas. As part of the deal, 39 Palestinian prisoners in an Israeli jail, including women and children, were freed.
But amid the joy, Israel warned hostilities will go on after the truce. Channah Peri, whose family are originally from Wakefield, West Yorks, was among the Hamas hostages freed yesterday. The 79-year-old and her son Nadav Popplewell, 51, were among the 240 people snatched by Hamas in its raid on October 7.
Click here to follow along live
Moment pilot is taken hostage by bow and arrow-wielding rebels in chilling video
One of the hostages freed this evening (SkyNews/Youtube)Tragically, her other son Roi, 54, was murdered. Nadav remains a hostage but around 50 Israelis are to be freed during the truce, giving his family hope. The International committee of the Red Cross called the release of the captives a "huge relief".
Spokesman Matthew Morris said: "To see some smiles was quite something after everything. We have talked so much about the impact of this conflict on children, the children of Israel and Gaza. Children who have lost their parents, siblings and loved ones, and not knowing what is going on.
A man driving a damaged car picks-up relatives returning to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing, hours after the start of the truce (AFP via Getty Images)"So to be able to see this happening and know that some children tonight can be back in the arms of their mums and their dads, that is really quite significant.” Professor Hagai Levine, of Hostages & Missing Families Forum’s medical team, added: “This is an emotional night for the hostages, for families. Now we need to help them become humans again."
The freed captives were taken to a medical centre in Egypt. One of the first arrivals was a fair-haired girl, clutching her mum’s hand. An elderly white-haired woman came next.
The 13 Israelis who were freed this eveningSix women aged over 70 were among those released. Apart from the two-year-old child, two others aged five, one six-year-old and another aged nine were also freed.
They were all taken back to Israel on Blackhawk helicopters. Palestinian prisoners were freed from Ofer jail in the West Bank. It was claimed some were aged 12 and 15, and had been arrested for throwing stones.
The Israel Defence Forces warned ominously that the truce is only a “short pause”. The IDF’s Avichay Adraee added: “The war is not over.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
