Fifth day of ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas and Israel return more hostages and prisoners
(Baonghean.vn) - Hamas released 12 more hostages and Israel also released 30 Palestinian prisoners on November 28 - the fifth day of a six-day ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group and Israel in the war in Gaza.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said 12 hostages had been taken from Gaza and the Israeli army confirmed that 10 Israeli citizens, two foreign nationals and their special forces were on Israeli territory.
The hostages were among about 240 people seized by Hamas gunmen in a fierce attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed. Health authorities in Gaza say Israel's retaliatory bombardment of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has killed more than 15,000 people there.
Live video footage broadcast by Al Jazeera on November 28 shows a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners leaving Israel's Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
Israel said it had released 30 Palestinian detainees from Ofer and a detention center in Jerusalem. Israel had previously said the number would include 15 women and 15 teenage boys, according to the semi-official Palestinian Prisoners Club.
Al Jazeera said the Palestinians had gone to the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Jerusalem.
The freed Israeli hostages included nine women and one minor, according to a spokesman for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, which is mediating the conflict.
Some hostages were also reported to have been released by the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
The ceasefire, which has brought Gaza its first respite after seven weeks of fighting and shelling that left much of the Strip in ruins, was due to expire on the night of November 27 and early morning of November 28, but both sides agreed to extend the pause to allow for the release of more hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended further if Hamas continues to free at least 10 Israeli hostages a day. But with fewer women and children being held, a potential silence after November 29 may require negotiations to free at least some Israeli men.
The total number of hostages released by Hamas since the start of the ceasefire on November 24 is now 81, including 60 Israelis – all women and children – and 21 foreigners, many of them Thai workers.
Before November 28, Israel had released 150 prisoners.
