ShareJERUSALEM/DOHA: A total of 39 Palestinians held by Zionist were released from prison on Sunday on the third day of a prisoner-hostage exchange, according to Zionist entity’s Prison Service. The announcement came after 13 Zionist hostages were freed in the Palestinian territory under the deal, along with three Thais and a Russian-Zionist dual citizen. Meanwhile, a source close to Hamas said Sunday the movement was willing to extend the current truce with Zionist entity in Gaza for two to four days beyond its initial expiry on Monday.
"Hamas informed the mediators that the resistance movements were willing to extend the current truce by two to four days. The resistance believes it is possible to ensure the release of 20 to 40 Zionist prisoners," the source told AFP, referring to hostages seized in the October 7 attacks.
As part of agreed commitments, “39 Palestinian civilians were being released today in exchange for the release of 13 Zionist entity detainees from Gaza, in addition to a detainee holding Russian citizenship and three Thais,” Majed Al-Ansari said earlier in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Zionist entity’s army separately said 13 of the released hostages were back on Zionist entity territory, and another four were on their way to Egypt.
Over the course of the four-day truce a total 50 civilian hostages are expected to be freed by Hamas. In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be released, and humanitarian aid has been entering Gaza.
Prior to Sunday evening the truce had seen 26 Zionist entity hostages freed by Hamas in exchange for 78 Palestinian prisoners held in Zionist entity jails. As a result of parallel negotiations led by Qatar, 14 Thais and one Filipino were also freed by the Palestinian militants.
A four-year-old American girl is safely in Zionist entity after being released on Sunday from captivity in Gaza, US President Joe Biden said as he urged the pause in Zionist entity-Hamas fighting be extended to allow for more hostage releases. “She’s free and she’s in Zionist entity now,” Biden said in a hastily arranged appearance before the media after the Zionist army announced that 17 hostages were being freed by Hamas.
“She is now safely in Zionist entity, and we continue to press and expect for additional Americans will be released as well. And we will not stop working until every hostage is returned to their loved ones.”
The White House has said that 10 Americans—seven men, two women and Abigail—were missing and presumed held hostage by Hamas.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people greeted the International Committee of the Red Cross bus carrying the Palestinians as it arrived in Al-Bireh in the occupied West Bank. Crowds chanted “God is Great” as the bus arrived, and several young men stood on the roof of the vehicle. Many in the crowd held Hamas flags and chanted pro-Hamas slogans. Many Palestinians view prisoners held by Zionist entity, including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation, and have celebrated their release. The arrival of the Palestinian prisoners, six women and 33 men, has brought tears and joy as they were received by their families in the occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the military wing of Hamas said Sunday that the commander of its northern brigade and four other senior leaders had been killed during Zionist entity’s offensive against the Islamist movement.
In a statement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said Ahmed Al-Ghandour was a member of its military council, and named three of the others, among them Ayman Siyyam, head of its rocket division, while its West Bank branch confirmed another leader’s death. “We pledge to Allah we will continue their path and that their blood will be a light for the mujahedeen and a fire for the occupiers,” the statement said, without saying when they were killed.
Wael Rajab, described as Ghandour’s deputy and the former police chief in northern Gaza, had also been killed, it said, as had Raafat Salman, a senior operative in Qassam’s Gaza City Brigade involved in planning the motorized glider infiltration on October 7.—AFP
