On Saturday, February 1, as part of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, a bus carrying Palestinian prisoners released from Israel's Ofer Prison departed from the occupied West Bank. According to Hamas, Israel was to release a total of 182 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
In return, the Palestinian militant group Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday morning. The hostage-prisoner exchange is part of negotiations aimed at ending the 15-month-long war in Gaza.
In the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, 15 out of a total of 33 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for 400 Palestinian prisoners. In the second phase of the agreement, negotiations are set to begin by next Tuesday regarding the release of more than 60 remaining Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Prisoner Exchange Process Watched on Large Screens in Tel Aviv
Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to watch the prisoner exchange process broadcast on large screens by local television channels. The event has garnered significant interest in both Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over two Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Saturday. The released hostages were Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas. A third hostage, U.S. citizen Keith Samuel Siegel, was later handed over to the Red Cross at Gaza City’s port.
Handover Carried Out Under Strict Security Measures
The handover process took place in the presence of a large number of Palestinians. Members of the Al-Qassam Brigades were deployed in the area to oversee the exchange. Red Cross vehicles, which arrived in Khan Younis and Gaza City earlier in the day, facilitated the successful completion of the swap.
The Israeli army confirmed in a statement that two Israeli hostages were on their way to Israel. Ofer Calderon and Yarden Bibas were transported by helicopter to the Tel HaShomer Medical Center in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on Saturday.
Israeli Security Measures and Warnings
Amid the prisoner exchange, the Israeli army prepared for an operation in the town of Beitunia near Ramallah on Saturday. At the time, a Red Cross convoy carrying released Palestinian detainees was passing through the area. The Israeli army dropped warning leaflets via drones, urging people not to celebrate the release of Palestinian prisoners.
This prisoner exchange is being conducted under international mediation efforts and is considered a significant step towards influencing the peace process in the region.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschk...
Turkic states are considering the creation of a new law enforcement agency, TURKPOL, as members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) step up ...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Daily Brief. Here are the top stories for the 11th of September, covering the latest developments about heal...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Turkic states are considering the creation of a new law enforcement agency, TURKPOL, as members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) step up security cooperation.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that U.S. and Israeli strikes on sites under verification were the main reason inspections were halted.
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks to strengthen its role in the Middle Corridor trade route between Asia and Europe.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment