Laura Laplaud (comments collected by Inès Zeghloul) / Photo credits: MAGALI COHEN / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
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7:15 a.m., November 22, 2023
Israel approved early Wednesday the agreement providing for the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of nearly 150 Palestinian prisoners as well as a four-day truce in Gaza. But for Olivier, cousin of three French hostages, it is still too early to declare victory.
The Israeli government on Wednesday approved a release deal aimed at securing the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip. Around 240 people were kidnapped during the bloody attack launched on October 7 against Israel by the Islamist movement in power in the Gaza Strip.
“Which hostages? We don’t know”
Hamas is still detaining eight French people, three of whom are members of the same family: Erez, 12 years old, Sahar, 16 years old and their father Ofer Kalderon. Olivier, one of their cousins, who lives in France, is waiting for the facts before rejoicing at this agreement. “I doubt it, my cousins doubt it. It’s hard to believe it’s true. We’ll only believe it when we see it. Because the hostages are in the hands of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, and they have proven that they acted in a totally immoral and criminal manner, they are murderers,” he said.
“Which hostages? We don’t know. We’re talking more about children, the elderly, maybe dual nationals, which is the case for my family but we don’t know. There is no certainty. The wait is going to be terrible. I can’t wait to be told that Erez and Sahar have returned home. But we are obviously more optimistic [qu’avant]”, he continued at the microphone of Europe 1.
According to a statement in Hebrew from the Israeli government sent to AFP, those released will be women and children.