GAZA: A new group of Zionist captives were due to be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners under an extended truce on Tuesday as mediators worked for a lasting halt to the devastating seven-week war. International figures hailed the pause in hostilities and releases of captives as a cause for hope. The Zionist entity and Hamas accused each other of violating the extended pause in incidents on Tuesday, though Qatari officials mediating in the conflict said this did not knock the truce off track.
As a two-day extension to the truce began Tuesday, US and Zionist intelligence chiefs were in Doha, capital of Qatar, to discuss the "next phase” of the deal, a source briefed on their visit said. The Zionist entity and Hamas are under international pressure not to return to all-out fighting when the latest truce ends on Thursday, but instead to build on the prisoner swaps to find a solution to the conflict.
A source close to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas told AFP that 10 hostages held in Gaza would be freed in return for 30 prisoners released from Zionist prisons on Tuesday. In addition to those releases, "some foreign workers held in Gaza” will also be freed, the source told AFP. The truce paused fighting that began on Oct 7. The Zionist entity’s ground and air operation in the Gaza Strip has killed almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians.
Palestinian movements denounced what they dubbed "truce violations by the occupier”, and an AFP journalist saw a Zionist tank fire three times in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City as Palestinians attempted to return to their homes. The Zionist military described the shelling as "warning shots”, saying a tank fired as suspected militants approached army positions. At least one person was hurt, the AFP reporter saw.
The Zionist military meanwhile alleged that three explosive devices were detonated near its forces in the northern Gaza strip, "violating the framework of the operational pause”. "In one of the locations, terrorists also opened fire at the troops, who responded with fire. A number of soldiers were lightly injured during the incidents,” the army said, adding that its troops were positioned in compliance with the truce agreement.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a news conference: "There have been some minimal breaches which have been noted by both parties but they did not harm the essence of the agreement and the agreement is still ongoing.”
Zionist bombardments since Oct 7 have left buildings flattened in the Gaza Strip and residents walking through the rubble of ruined homes. "I hope this truce will lead to a complete ceasefire, because we are fed up of sleeping outdoors in the rain, of losing our loved ones and having to flee,” said Umm Mohammed, who was driven from her home in northern Gaza by the assault. "One day for sure I will return... and I hope that my house will be waiting for me,” she told AFP.
The Zionist entity has vowed to stick to its war aim of destroying Hamas and rescuing all remaining captives. Qatari spokesman Ansari said that his government would use the extension to work for a "sustainable truce”. The head of the CIA and the director of the Zionist Mossad spy agency were in Qatar to discuss the Gaza truce with Qatar’s prime minister, a source briefed on their visit said, asking not to be named due to the talks’ sensitivity. The discussions aim "to build on the progress of the extended humanitarian pause agreement and to initiate further discussions about the next phase of a potential deal,” the source added.
The latest round of exchanges on Monday night brought the total number of people released under the truce to 50 Zionist captives, and 150 Palestinian prisoners, all women and children. Another 19 captives held in Gaza have been freed under separate deals since the truce began on Friday, including Thai workers and a dual Russian-Zionist citizen. The Zionist prison authority said 33 Palestinian inmates had been released in exchange on Monday.
In Zionist-annexed east Jerusalem, Palestinian child prisoner Muhammad Abu al-Humus called his release "an indescribable joy” and kissed his mother’s hand as he entered his home. "I’m very happy. I hope that others will soon be released — my friends, my cousins.”
The Zionist entity views the truce as a temporary measure to secure captive releases and says it plans to continue its military offensive against Hamas. "We are committed to completing these missions: Freeing all of the hostages, eliminating this terrorist organization above and below ground,” Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video released Tuesday by his office.
But the Zionist entity faces increasing pressure for a more lasting ceasefire and the ramp-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where an estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations. The World Food Program said it had delivered food to 121,161 people in Gaza since Friday, but that a high risk of famine remained. "What we see is catastrophic,” said WFP’s director for the Middle East, Corinne Fleischer.