Hamas accuses Israel of ‘manipulating’ list of prisoners to be freed
Hamas senior official Ghazi Hamad tells Al Jazeera that Israel is not playing fair with the list of Palestinian prisoners it agreed to free in exchange for captives held in Gaza.
“The occupation is manipulating the lists of prisoners and even evading the Americans,” Hamad said.
About 250 prisoners serving life sentences are expected to be released on Monday along with 1,500 others detained in Gaza since the war began.
Hamas has demanded the release of prominent Palestinian Marwan Barghouti, but it’s unclear if Israel will free him.
Senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears in court in 2012
‘Staying in northern Gaza is not an option’
People from the northern part of Gaza are returning to check on their homes. But nobody is staying here. Israeli tanks and drones can be heard in these areas, creating panic among people trying to salvage what they can inside their destroyed homes.
As soon as it starts to get dark, they walk back to their displacement camps, as they do not have places left standing to stay in.
There is another challenge in Gaza City. Many family members left behind during Israel’s forced evacuation are dead from bombardment, their bodies trapped under the rubble.
People who came back after the ceasefire was announced were hoping to reunite with them, but they are nowhere to be found. And they keep searching for relatives in the demolished neighbourhoods and hospitals.
Another huge problem is that there is no proper access to basic necessities, including water and food. People go back to their displacement camps at the end of the day because they have to eat and drink. Staying here is not an option.
Prominent journalist killed in Gaza as media death toll rises
Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi has been killed by gunmen in Gaza City.
Footage published by reporters and activists showed his body with a “press” flak jacket on in what appears to be the back of a truck. The video was verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency.
The killing coincided with clashes between Palestinian security forces and armed groups in the al-Sabra neighbourhood of war-ravaged Gaza City. Security sources have told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that a number of individuals accused of attacking returnees to Gaza City – by colluding with Israeli forces – were killed during clashes.
Aljafarawi, 28, was displaced from northern Gaza during the war. He became well known in Gaza for his videos covering the war, and said he received numerous threats from Israel for his work.
More than 270 media workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s war in October 2023 – making it the deadliest conflict for journalists ever.
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