Good morning from London, the pause in fighting in the #Israel - #Gaza war was due to start nearly to hours ago. Here are some observations of colleagues on the ground -
V #BBC Yolande Knell:
'In the hours before the truce was due to take hold, there was intense fighting in Gaza.
Smoke could be seen rising up from Israeli air strikes and there was the constant sound of artillery and gunfire.
By 07:00 local time it was calmer, but not immediately quiet. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard, and sirens went off in Israeli villages close to Gaza to warn of incoming missile or mortar fire.
While this is a worrying sign, in previous wars here, there has been a similar shaky start before a truce or longer ceasefire has stuck.'
V #BBC Anna Foster, ~ 8 AM local:
'The 4-day ceasefire began, but we did hear, for around 15 minutes or so, continuing occasional explosions.
The Israeli military really did continue their operation right until the ceasefire began, and slightly afterwards it appears - certainly from what we could hear and see over Gaza.
I can hear a drone in the sky above but we haven’t heard any arms fire, mortars, explosions, or any real sound of fighting... It looks like the ceasefire is firmly in place.'
Here are the details of the deal mediated by Qatar:
Ceasefire: A four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas has come into effect with both sides saying the pause is temporary.
Hostage and prisoner release: 13 women and children taken hostage by Hamas are to be released on Friday - the first of 50 to be released over four days. Hamas says the deal will see 150 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel
(Cont.)
Possible extension: For every 10 additional hostages released, the pause in fighting will be extended by a day
Aid and fuel: 200 lorries carrying aid, four fuel tankers and four lorries carrying cooking gas will be allowed to enter Gaza via Egypt's Rafah crossing on each of the four days. Cairo says 130,000 litres of diesel will be allowed in Gaza each day
V #BBC Yolande Knell:
'After that shaky start things are steadying off in regards to the truce.
We are getting a picture of more aid going in to the Gaza Strip, there is this period of safe passage that’s been allowed for Palestinians and people are moving around increasingly on the ground.
What we are waiting for is 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT),
'that is when we understand that the first 13 of 50 Israeli hostages are going to be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
They will be brought out through Egypt’s Rafah crossing and then there is a whole protocol for what happens.
On the Egyptian side of the crossing they will meet Israeli security forces, they have to have identities checked, they’ll undergo initial medical checks
and then they will be taken to Israel by helicopter.
They’ll then be taken to hospital to have further medical checks, and will then be reunited with their families.
After that it will then be a couple of hours - according to the terms of the agreement – until the first Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails.'
#Hostages released by #Hamas are back in #Israel, the #IDF confirms
The Red Cross earlier confirmed 24 hostages had been released in #Gaza and transferred into #Egypt via the #Rafah border crossing
It did not give details, but Qatar said the group included 13 #Israeli citizens, 10 #Thais and one #Filipino
#IDF say that Israeli special forces and security services are currently with the released #hostages inside #Israel.
The update says the hostages have undergone an initial medical assessment and will now be transported to hospitals in Israel to be reunited with their families.
V #BBC Tom Bateman:
'Israel has a two-hour window to release 39 #Palestinian prisoners - Qatar is now saying this release has happened; we’re waiting for confirmation on that.
Those Palestinian women and teenage boys were transferred earlier today from two jails in northern #Israel to a military courts complex in the occupied West Bank.
Once the Palestinian side is satisfied that their release has taken place,
(cont.)
' the deal remains on track. Around the same time as today’s release of hostages in #Gaza, it’s thought that #Hamas was also due to hand the list of the next group of hostages it will release tomorrow.
Qatar has said it has an “operations room” in Doha co-ordinating messages and making sure the releases in Gaza take place in a “safe” environment.
(cont.)
'So as today’s hostages are transferred to hospitals to be reunited with their loved ones, the whole process starts again ahead of another set of releases expected tomorrow.
With many moving parts, lots can still go wrong.
This is all about the sides verifying what has been agreed, before honouring their next set of commitments under the deal. And at the same time, a very delicate temporary ceasefire needs to stay in place for four days, or potentially even longer.'
The head of #Israel's ambulance service has been informed that the hostages freed today appear to be healthy, Israeli army radio reports.
Eli Bin says he was told this in a conversation with the head of the Red Cross delegation, which also confirmed 13 of the hostages were Israeli and 11 were foreign nationals.
#BBCNews - #Israel releases 39 #Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67522703
The group of 24 women and 15 teenage boys was released across the Beituniya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.
The detainees were chosen from a list of 300 women and minors compiled by Israel - Less than a quarter of those on the list have been convicted - the vast majority are being held on remand while awaiting trial
V Guardian:
'Egypt said on Saturday it had received positive signals from all parties over a possible extension of the Gaza truce for one or two days.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), said in a statement that the country was holding extensive talks with all parties to reach an agreement over extending the four-day truce, which “means the release of more detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.”
V Haaretz:
'Hamas Officials Abroad See Power Wane as #Gazan Leaders Take Control- Arab diplomats who recently met with #Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other senior officials in #Qatar say that every proposal or discussion about the future of the group or the hostage deal was met with the answer, 'We’ll see what they say in Gaza'
V @michaelh992 :
' #Hamas 's al-Qassam Brigades say they've decided to delay second round of hostage releases until #Israel commits to allowing aid trucks to enter northern #Gaza.
[today more than 50 trucks were due to enter northern Gaza - unclear if they did]
Good morning from London and a recap:
Hamas says it is seeking to extend the current four-day pause in fighting with Israel and increase the number of hostages released
Israel's PM has said the original agreement could be extended - but Israeli operations in Gaza would resume with full force after the truce
Meanwhile, more Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are due to be released
On Sunday, 14 Israeli hostages and 3 foreign nationals were released in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners
V #BBC Hugo Bachega:
' #Israel is offering a further day of pause in the fighting in #Gaza for every ten captives released - and #Hamas says it could agree to an extension.
A #Palestinian official told the BBC between 20 to 40 additional #Israeli hostages could be freed. Around 180 people remain in captivity, including about a dozen children
In Gaza, the truce has allowed the delivery of much needed aid, as the humanitarian crisis triggered by weeks of unrelenting Israeli bombardment continues
BREAKING
Qatar says Israel and Hamas have agreed to a two-day extension to the current truce which has seen hostages freed and Palestinian prisoners released
Quick recap:
The Israeli military says 11 hostages are on their way to Israeli territory, as part of today's hostage deal. They include French, German and Argentinian dual nationals, Qatar said. Meanwhile, 33 Palestinians - including 30 children and three women - are being released from Israeli prisons, Qatar added
excluding tonight's expected release - 39 Israeli hostages have been freed from Gaza and 117 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israel jails under the 4 day truce (cont)
Earlier, Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their four-day truce in Gaza for another two days, Qatar, the US and Hamas say
Under the extension, Hamas has committed to release another 20 women and children, the US says
UN chief Antonio Guterres welcomed the extension as "a glimpse of hope and humanity," but warned that the extra time was not enough time to meet the aid needs of the Gaza Strip
US President Joe Biden says the pause has allowed a "significant surge" of aid to enter the strip
But strong winds and heavy rain have worsened conditions for tens of thousands of Gazans living in tents
A surgeon who has returned to the UK from Gaza described the situation he saw in hospitals during the fighting as "apocalyptic" - children had worms coming out of their wounds and supplies were so low he resorted to using washing up liquid to clean them, he said
V #BBC Hugo Bachega:
'Intelligence chiefs from Israel, the US and Egypt have been holding talks in Qatar to discuss a possible new deal.
This could include the release of the first men or military personnel, abducted during the murderous attack by Hamas more than 50 days ago. Around 160 people remain in captivity.
Here in Israel, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had received a list with the names of those to be freed today - their families are being notified. (Cont)
'For every Israeli citizen returned, three Palestinians will be released from Israeli jails.
In Gaza, more humanitarian supplies are getting in - but aid agencies say it is still not enough. And in the occupied West Bank, there are reports of clashes as the Israeli army conducts an operation in Jenin.'
#Thailand’s For Min has greeted the two Thai nationals who were released from #Gaza by #Hamas on Tuesday.
"Happy to personally welcome 2 additional #Thai#hostages just released and arrived at the hospital in Tel Aviv," Parnpree - who is also deputy prime minister - posted on X.
Nineteen Thai hostages have been released by Hamas so far, while 13 remain captured, according to the foreign ministry.
The two men are now receiving treatment in Tel Aviv's Shamir Medical Centre.
@fulelo Worth noting than 30 Thais were kidnapped on Oct 7 but only 12 have been released. I haven't seen any explanation of why 18 Thais are still being held by terrorists.
@fulelo Context: Where I live, Victoria Australia, on 31 July 2022, 2879 of 6615 (43%) people in Victorian prisions had not been convicted. It's called being charged/indicted and held on remand. That's with us not having terrorism & civilian unrest.
Israel naturally preferentially releases those charged with relatively minor offences, who spend a higher proportion of their time in prision on remand.
Petsonally I was shocked to hear a magistrate tell a woman she would be released "for time served" if she pleaded guilty but stay in jail for at least 3 more months if she continued to plead not guilty. If she pleaded guilty, 100% of her prision time would have been spent on remand.
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