Ceasefire not yet extended
Six more hostages on the way to Israel
November 30, 2023, 10:56 p.m
Shortly after Hamas handed over two abducted women to the Red Cross, it released six more hostages – two fewer than originally agreed. It remains to be seen whether more Israelis will be released. It is also unclear what will happen tomorrow.
According to the Israeli military, the Islamist Hamas has handed over another group of hostages to the Red Cross. The army said it was six Israelis who had been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. They are now on their way from Egypt to Israel. Two hostages had previously been brought separately to Israel. It is still unclear whether the release of further hostages can be expected.
According to media reports, a total of ten Israeli hostages were originally supposed to be released by Hamas today. In return, three times as many Palestinian prisoners were planned to be released from Israeli prisons. According to Palestinian reports, eight women and 22 male youths under the age of 19 were involved. However, if Hamas only releases eight Israelis, the number of prisoners to be released is likely to be lower.
No extension of the break in fighting yet
It is also unclear whether the ceasefire, which according to previous agreements is supposed to end on Friday morning, will be extended again. According to unconfirmed reports, discussions about an extension are ongoing in the background. According to the original agreement of the war opponents, the ceasefire could be extended to a maximum of ten days in order to enable the further release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Since the ceasefire began on Friday morning, it could, in principle, last until Monday morning. It remains to be seen whether Hamas is willing and able to release ten more hostages every day, as Israel has demanded.
Since Friday, 78 abducted Israeli women and minors as well as around 30 other foreign hostages, mostly guest workers from Thailand, have been released from the Gaza Strip. In return, Israel has so far released 210 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons.