Middle East
Gaza War: Moment of Hope and Further Uncertainty
An Israeli soldier sits on a tank after a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist Hamas came into effect. photo
© Tsafrir Abayov/AP/dpa
With the release of some hostages kidnapped from Israel to the Gaza Strip, relatives have reason to breathe a sigh of relief. For many others, the uncertainty continues. An overview of the situation in the Middle East.
It is already dark when several Red Cross SUVs pass the Rafah border crossing: almost seven weeks after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and the beginning of the During the Gaza war, the first hostages were released as a result of an agreement.
A group of 24 people abducted from Israel were able to leave the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced in Geneva. According to mediator Qatar, the freed included 13 Israelis, ten Thais and one Filipino citizen. In return, Israel was to release 39 Palestinian prisoners who were serving prison sentences that evening. Just hours earlier, a ceasefire had come into effect, which also marked the start of the expansion of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
The ceasefire negotiated by Israel and Hamas is expected to last at least four days. According to the agreement, a total of 50 hostages are to be released during this time. An extension of the ceasefire to up to ten days is possible, as the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which is mediating in the conflict, has announced. Overall, the agreement reached between both parties to the conflict provides for an exchange of up to 100 hostages from Israel for up to 300 Palestinian prisoners. Iran mediated between Hamas and Thailand in the release of Thai hostages.
The latest Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which terrorists from the Gaza Strip committed in Israel near the border on October 7th. More than 1,200 people were killed. Around 240 hostages were taken to Gaza, including several Germans.
Israel responded with massive air strikes, a blockade of the Gaza Strip and began a ground offensive in late October. According to the Islamist Hamas, almost 15,000 people were killed. More than 36,000 were injured. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.
Children in particular could be severely traumatized after being held hostage
According to the army, the Israeli hostages released by Hamas – said to be women and children – were initially to be housed in protected rooms in Israel. After an initial medical examination and treatment, they should be taken to hospitals where they can also meet their families. The released people were to be taken to various clinics by helicopter.
The Israeli military called on the public and media to be patient and sensitive. “We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the released hostages and their families.” Psychologists assume that the children in particular could be severely traumatized after seven weeks of being held hostage. They also witnessed the worst violence on October 7th.
Palestinian prisoners are to be released close to their homes
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Commission, the Palestinian prisoners who were due to be released on Friday include 24 women and 15 young people. The oldest is 19 years old. The prisoners should be released near their homes in the West Bank or East Jerusalem.
Hundreds of Palestinians want to go to northern Gaza after a ceasefire
According to eyewitness reports, after the ceasefire came into effect in the morning, hundreds of Palestinian internally displaced people set out to return to their homes. People in the city of Gaza and other parts of the northern Gaza Strip wanted to check on their houses or apartments and their relatives, it was said in the morning. However, the Israeli military warned that it was forbidden to move from the south to the north of the coastal area.
The Israeli army had already warned before the ceasefire began that the war was not over. The northern Gaza Strip remains a “dangerous war zone” and it is forbidden to move back and forth there. Palestinians should remain in a “humanitarian zone” in the south of the coastal strip. However, it is still possible for civilians to move from the north to the south.
The fighting continued until shortly before the ceasefire began. In the Israeli border area with the Gaza Strip, there were rocket alarms immediately before the start of the ceasefire and again shortly afterwards, as had been the case during previous ceasefires. The Israeli army had previously intensified its attacks in the Gaza Strip and will keep its soldiers stationed there during the break in fighting.
Increased aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip started
With the start of the ceasefire in the Gaza war, humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip also began to expand. In the morning, convoys with numerous trucks were on the move, said the spokesman for the UN Emergency Relief Office (OCHA) in Geneva on Friday. Egypt considers 200 trucks per day to be realistic, government sources said. Before the war, around 500 trucks carrying humanitarian goods drove into the area sealed off by Israel every day. Since mid-November there have only been up to a few dozen a day. According to OCHA, there were 80 on Thursday.
There are still hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Gaza Strip
The spokesman initially left it open whether the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) would be able to supply the north of the Gaza Strip with relief supplies for the first time in weeks. OCHA is constantly negotiating with all parties to the conflict for unhindered access and security guarantees, he said. Hundreds of thousands of people are said to still be in the north of the Gaza Strip despite Israeli calls to evacuate the entire area.