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By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Tel Aviv GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas on Saturday released a second group of Israeli and foreign civilians it had been holding hostage in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, after an hours-long unexpected delay set nerves on edge. Israeli authorities said 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens had returned to Israel. The joint announcement by the Israeli military and the […]
DUBLIN, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – A nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl was among the latest group of hostages released by Hamas fighters on Saturday, Ireland’s prime minister said in a statement. “This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family,” Leo Varadkar said. “An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.” Emily was […]
By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Tel Aviv GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas fighters were set to release a second group of hostages Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, officials said, as a truce largely held in the devastated Gaza Strip after seven weeks of war that killed thousands of people. Israeli prison authorities said 42 Palestinian inmates — both male and female — would be freed under the […]
By Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON BANGKOK, Nov 25, 2023 (AFP) – Kittiya Thuengsaeng thought her 28-year-old boyfriend was among the almost 40 Thais killed in Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel last month. But on Friday night Thai officials shocked her with news so good it seemed impossible. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she told AFP, describing the moment she saw a photograph of Wichai Kalapat after he was released from weeks in captivity. “I had a chat […]
By Julien Dury PARIS, Nov 24, 2023 (AFP) – How will the first group of hostages released by Hamas on Friday recover from the psychological trauma of being held captive since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on October 7? It is a difficult question to answer, experts say, because the capacity to recover from being held hostage varies enormously and unpredictably from one person to another. “Whilst many people released from captivity experience […]
By Adel Zaanoun with Marc Jourdier in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 24, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas on Friday freed a first batch of hostages seized in the deadliest attack in Israel’s history under a deal that saw a temporary truce take hold in war-ravaged Gaza. Thirteen Israeli hostages captured during Palestinian militants’ cross-border raids were back in Israeli territory where they would undergo medical checks before being reunited with their families, the army […]
By Adel Zaanoun with Hazel Ward in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – A pause in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza will start on Friday morning and an exchange of hostages and prisoners will follow hours later, mediator Qatar said, after nearly seven weeks of fighting. The breakthrough four-day truce facilitated by Qatar with help from Egypt and the United States had been due to take effect on Thursday but was […]
FRANKFURT, Germany, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – Germany on Thursday said police raided the homes of members and supporters of Hamas and another Palestinian organisation which are banned in the country. Around 500 members of the security forces led the operation, with 13 places searched in the capital Berlin, the interior ministry said. Four other regions were targeted to a lesser extent as police seized smartphones, laptops and various writings, the ministry added. “We are […]
JERUSALEM, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – Following the announcement that Gaza militant group Hamas will release at least 50 hostages as part of a deal with Israel, here is what we know about the captives. Based on interviews with relatives and Israeli media reports, AFP has confirmed the identities of 210 of the around 240 people abducted on October 7 during Hamas attacks on military posts, communities and a desert music festival. The hostages, who […]
JERUSALEM, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – The vast majority of Palestinians slated for release under an Israel-Hamas swap deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, are teenage boys, an official Israeli list shows. Israel released the names on Wednesday of 300 Palestinian detainees who could be set free under the agreement. Under the terms of the deal, the first phase will see 50 Israeli hostages released over the course of four days, […]
By Adel Zaanoun GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that would see the Palestinian group release dozens of hostages taken on October 7, both sides announced Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the accord after a near-all-night meeting, in which he told reticent ministers this was a “difficult decision but it’s a right decision.” A government spokesman told AFP that under the […]
DOHA, Nov 21, 2023 (AFP) – Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday his militant movement was nearing a truce agreement with Israel, according to a statement posted on Telegram. “We are close to reaching a deal on a truce,” Haniyeh said, according to the post. Negotiators have been working to seal a deal to allow the release of around 240 mostly Israeli hostages seized on October 7, during the deadliest assault on Israel in […]
