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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ 8 hours ago

Who are the captives being released from Gaza today?

A total of eight captives – three Israelis and five Thai – are set to be freed today.

The Israelis are:

  • Agam Berger, a 20-year-old military observer who was taken from Israel’s Nahal Oz base. She started her job at the base just two days before the October 7, 2023 attack.
  • Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old civilian, was taken from her home in the Nir Oz settlement together with her partner. Israel estimates that she is the last living female civilian captive in the enclave. Yehoud’s release date became a point of dispute between Hamas and Israel, whose government argued that, as a civilian, she should have been released in the last captive exchange on January 25. To resolve the disagreement, a deal was reached for Yehoud’s expedited release today, two days ahead of Hamas’s originally planned schedule. In return, Israel agreed to open Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor earlier this week, allowing Palestinians to return to the north.
  • Gadi Moshe Mozes, an 80-year-old farmer who was taken from his home in Nir Oz. His partner, Efrat Katz, was killed “most likely” by Israeli helicopter fire, on October 7, 2023, an Israeli investigation found.

The names of the five Thai captives, among 32 total taken captive on October 7, have not been released.


Arbel Yehoud, a German-Israeli captive who was taken in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel


Captives’ release could occur at multiple locations in Gaza: Report

Israel’s military anticipates that the eight captives due for release today may be transferred from different places in Gaza, according to Israel’s Army Radio.

Agam Berger, the only Israeli soldier slated for release today, could be released from northern Gaza’s Jabalia, where Hamas has been preparing a stage, reports The Times of Israel newspaper.

The captives are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross from 9am (7:00 GMT). They will then be taken to the southern Israeli kibbutz of Re’im to reunite with their families, before being sent to hospitals for medical checks, according to Israel’s Army Radio.



Around the Network
SvennoJ 8 hours ago

Hamas, PIJ aim to show world ‘full extent’ of Israel’s war on Gaza

Choosing northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp as one of the sites for the handover of the captives is “hugely symbolically significant”, according to Beverley Milton-Edwards, non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs and co-author of Hamas: The Quest for Power.

She told Al Jazeera that “what we are seeing today is an attempt by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad brigades to let the world see the full extent of Israel’s war on Gaza”.

“It is hugely symbolically significant that – as we believe – the captives’ release will take place in the northern Gaza Strip that until a few days ago nobody could get into, and specifically in the [Jabalia] refugee camp that was home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees that was completely and utterly destroyed by Israel during those assaults on Gaza,” she added.


A Palestinian child walks past the rubble of a building destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on January 22


Israeli captive freed in Jabalia

Israeli captive Agam Berger has been handed over to the Red Cross in the Jabalia refugee camp. Dressed in a military uniform, she appeared walking, escorted by Palestinian fighters, through the rubble of a wrecked building in the camp.

She then appeared on a stage and waved to onlookers, before getting into a car belonging to the Red Cross.


Palestinian fighters release Israeli soldier Agam Berger, in Jabalia, Gaza, January 30



Israeli military confirms handover of Israeli captive

In a post on X, Israel’s military confirmed its forces have taken custody of released Israeli captive Agam Berger.

She is being escorted by Israeli military and Shin Bet forces into Israel, the military said.

Israel’s military is preparing to receive more captives shortly, it added.


Freed captive Agam Berger back in Israel

Israel’s military says released captive Agam Berger has crossed into Israeli territory.

She is on her way to an “initial reception point” near the border where she will reunite with her family, said the military.



SvennoJ 8 hours ago

Huge crowds in Khan Younis before captives’ release

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the ground, says the preparations in Khan Younis indicate that two remaining Israeli captives, Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moshe Mozes, are going to be released at this location shortly.

This day is also expected to see five Thai captives released.

Our colleague at Al Jazeera Arabic, Hani al-Shaer, has reported from the captives handover location in Khan Younis, saying the Palestinian fighters participating in the event include those holding Arbel Yehud, indicating she is among those to be released at this spot today.

“Huge crowds of people are coming to this area known as Street 5 in Khan Younis, which was destroyed in different military operations. Specifically, the house of Yahya Sinwar that was destroyed and turned into rubble, and the exchange will be from this rubble,” he added.

Palestinian fighters gather in front of Sinwar’s house in Khan Younis

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters have started to clear a path for the release of captives in Khan Younis, reports Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum from the scene. A huge crowd in the area – with many hundreds of onlookers – continues to grow, live footage shows.

“Everybody here is waiting,” said Abu Azzoum.


An aerial view of Palestinian fighters gathered in front of Yahya Sinwar’s house in Khan Younis, where Israeli captives are expected to be released, January 30


No stage in Khan Younis for captives’ handover due to large crowds

Our colleague at Al Jazeera Arabic, Hisham Zaqout, reporting from the location of the ongoing captives’ release ceremony in Khan Younis, says a podium was supposed to be set up like earlier.

“But it seems, due to the huge crowds of Palestinians coming to salute the Palestinian resistance and to watch the handover ceremony, the first in the south of Gaza Strip, the podium could not be set,” he said.


No signing of documents witnessed in latest handover of an Israeli captive

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Khan Younis, says there is not the same ceremonial process that occurred during previous handovers of Israeli captives on this occasion.

He said civilians are chanting and surrounding the car, which holds a captive about to be released to the Red Cross, amid chaotic scenes in comparison with previous handovers, where the crowd appeared more orderly.



SvennoJ 8 hours ago

Red Cross says seven captives released in Gaza

The International Committee of the Red Cross is telling Al Jazeera that seven captives held in Gaza have been released to its personnel.

Things are chaotic on the ground in the Gaza Strip, and our team is working on confirming this information.




Israeli captive Arbel Yehud is released in Gaza



Our colleague at Al Jazeera Arabic, Hisham Zaqout, reporting from the location, says “the Israeli captive Gadi [Moshe] Mozes was escorted to the same car with Arbil Yehud, then two other cars have the Thai captives, and they will all head to Karem Abu Salem [Kerem Shalom to Israelis] crossing to be handed to the Israeli forces there.”


Freed Thai captives to be repatriated soon

The Thai Foreign Ministry says that the five captives of Thai nationality who were freed today from captivity in Gaza today by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad will be home in 10 days.


Wiwwaeo Sriaoun (right), the mother of Thai farm worker Watchara Sriaoun, who was held captive in Gaza, cries after receiving the confirmation of the release of her son, at her home in Udon Thani province, in Thailand’s rural northeast, on January 30



SvennoJ 8 hours ago

‘Unimaginable cruelty’: Netanyahu blasts chaotic exchange scene in Khan Younis

In a post on X, the Israeli PM criticised the way seven captives were released in Khan Younis, where a huge crowd surged onto the path they were escorted through.

“I view with great severity the shocking scenes during the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said. “This is yet another proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organisation.”

He added: “I demand that the mediators ensure that such horrific scenes are not repeated and guarantee the safety of our hostages.”

Unimaginable cruelty? The video looks no different from celebrities being escorted through a crowd...
Israelis, always a victim no matter what.


Khan Younis scenes show Israel failed to achieve ‘complete victory’ in Gaza: Ben-Gvir

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli former national security minister who resigned over the ceasefire deal, says the captives’ handover scenes in Khan Younis show Israel did not achieve “a complete victory” in Gaza.

“We are happy and excited about the return of our beloved Agam, Arbel and Gadi, but the horrific images from Gaza make it clear: This is not a complete victory – this is a complete failure, in a reckless deal like no other,” he said in a statement on Telegram.

“The government could have stopped the bloodthirsty crowd that is now trying to lynch our hostages from humanitarian aid, fuel, electricity and water, and crushed them militarily until they themselves beg to return our hostages, but it decided to choose the path of surrender to human monsters. It is not too late to come to its senses!”


Release of Palestinian prisoners is being delayed: Reports

Israel’s Kann broadcaster reports that the Israeli government has ordered prison authorities to suspend the planned release of Palestinian prisoners today “until further notice”.

Israel’s Army Radio also reported the news, saying that buses with detainees are heading back to Israel’s Ofer Prison. As we’ve been reporting, 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 children, are set to be released, in exchange for three Israeli and five Thai captives.

Netanyahu confirms delay of Palestinian prisoners’ release

In a statement, the Israeli PM’s office said Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered prison authorities to hold off on the planned release of 110 Palestinian prisoners today.

According to the statement, the prisoners — originally set to be exchanged for three Israeli captives freed today — will not be released until Israel receives assurances that its remaining captives will be safely freed in future exchanges.

The move follows a chaotic scene this morning, when several Israeli captives were brought through a surging crowd in Khan Younis before being handed over to Red Cross officials.



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SvennoJ 8 hours ago

There is pressure on Netanyahu’s government to resume the exchange deal

We’ve just got the news officially from the Israeli spokesman that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz say that they are going to delay the release of these 110 Palestinian prisoners that were supposed to be released today, and that’s because of what they saw happening in Khan Younis.

Essentially, they’re saying something went wrong … that the captive was mobbed, and they will not continue this [exchange] until there are guarantees of the safe return of the captives.

It’s in everyone’s favour to continue the captive release deal. We have Steve Witkoff, the US envoy for the Middle East in Israel, who has been in what’s become known as the hostage square in Tel Aviv with the families of the captives.

He’s also been speaking to top officials, including Netanyahu in the government. So he’s essentially overseeing this and ensuring that this captive release continues to take place. So it’s a bit of pressure as well from the US.

There’s also been pressure from the captives’ families for Netanyahu to continue this process.


Palestinian prisoners to be released at 15:00 GMT: Report

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Information Office says that the release of the prisoners, which was scheduled for today but then suspended by the Israeli government, will take place at 5pm local time.

It said that this followed a conversation with mediators.


Palestinians treated by Red Crescent outside of Ofer Prison

The PRCS says that its crews are dealing with 12 injuries in Beitunia, near the prison in the occupied West Bank where Palestinian prisoners are set to be released today.

Two people were wounded by live bullets fired by Israeli forces, two by rubber bullets and eight suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Israeli forces regularly crack down on crowds that gather at or near the prison to celebrate the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.


Busses seen leaving Ofer Prison

The release of the Palestinian prisoners by Israel appears to have begun as Red Cross busses are seen leaving the prison in the occupied West Bank.


Israeli official indicates that preparations for second phase negotiations are under way: Report

Israeli journalist Barak Ravid says that Gal Hirsch, who holds the title of Israel’s coordinator for the hostages and the missing, has said that Israel is “currently in the stages of preparations for the continuation of the negotiations” towards the second phase of the ceasefire deal.

Hirsch is quoted as saying that Benjamin Netanyahu would visit President Trump and that the subsequent meetings with the US administration would “take place concurrently with the beginning of negotiations” of the second phase.

 



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Family of released Palestinian prisoners awaits reunion three decades after arrest

Mohammed al-Burai, the son of one of the released Palestinian prisoners who have arrived in Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera he was a two-year-old toddler when his father was arrested.

“Now, I’m 32 and my son is six,” he said as he stood in front of the European Hospital in Khan Younis, waiting for his father to complete medical checks and be allowed to reunite with his family.

“I’m so grateful to God for having the opportunity to see my father and I hope that all the other prisoners will be released,” al-Burai said.

Palestinian prisoners released in Gaza and West Bank

Palestinian prisoners have been released in Ramallah in the West Bank and Khan Younis in Gaza in exchange for Israeli captives.


Freed prisoner Zakaria Zubeidi, a former high-profile commander of the Fatah-aligned Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, travels by bus near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after his release

At least 20 freed Palestinian prisoners have arrived in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, and will undergo medical checks at the European Hospital.

The families are gathered around the vehicles transporting them, but they will have to wait for the medical checks to finish before they can be reunited with the prisoners.

We have seen mothers and wives dressed in traditional clothing, and people signing popular songs. Everyone is filled with happiness and joy as they wait to hug their loved ones again.


A freed Palestinian prisoner is welcomed in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip after his release

Palestinian prisoners reflect ‘a nation that has been caged’ by Israel

Xavier Abu Eid, a political analyst based in the occupied West Bank, said that while Palestinians were celebrating the release of dozens of loved ones as part of the ceasefire deal, many more remained in Israeli custody.

“We have to remember that we have over 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and according to this ceasefire agreement only 750 are going to be released by the end of this first stage,” said Abu Eid, noting that around 1,000 people from Gaza who were “totally innocent, not found guilty of anything” were arrested
after October 7.

“The Palestinian prisoners’ issue reflects on the overall reality of a nation that has been caged by the Israeli occupation,” Abu Eid added.


Palestinians celebrate prisoners’ release

In Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, large crowds are celebrating the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.


Freed Palestinian prisoners celebrate after being released as part of a prisoners-captives swap


Israeli police arrest 12 Palestinians in Jerusalem for celebrating prisoners’ release

Israeli police have arrested 12 Palestinians in Kafr Aqab, a neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, for engaging in celebrations following the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

In a statement, the police said those arrested were “Hamas supporters who participated in supporting a released prisoner”.

“According to the directives of the Commissioner General, any attempts to disturb the order or support terrorism will be dealt with firmly,” the statement added.



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Hamas vows to continue until all Israeli prisons are empty

The Palestinian group has issued a statement saying it will continue its work until Israeli prisons are emptied of prisoners.

Hamas also claimed that the large crowds that gathered to welcome the freed Palestinian prisoners despite Israel’s attempts to prohibit celebrations was “a message that the issue of prisoners is a red line”.


Hamas announces killing of top military commander Mohammed Deif

Hamas confirmed Deif’s killing in a statement.

Israel had claimed that it had killed Deif in an air attack in July, but the Palestinian group had not confirmed his death.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/13/at-least-50-killed-in-israeli-strike-on-al-mawasi-safe-zone-in-south-gaza


Hamas confirms killing of deputy military commander Marwan Issa

After confirming the death of military commander Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida adds that deputy military commander Marwan Issa was also killed, and announces the death of a number of other commanders.

Israel says it killed Issa in March. At the time, senior Hamas officials told Al Jazeera that the group’s political bureau had not received evidence of Issa’s death.

Abu Obeida also confirmed the killing of several other Hamas military commanders, including Ghazi Abu Tamaa, the commander of weapons and combat services, Raed Thabet, commander of manpower and head of supplies unit, and Rafei Salama, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade.


Qassam Brigades’ Abu Obaida on Mohammed Deif

Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida repeatedly praised Deif during his announcement that the military commander had indeed been killed.

“This is befitting of our leader Mohammed Deif, who exhausted the enemy for more than 30 years,” Abu Obaida said.

“How, by God, could Mohammed Deif be mentioned in history without the title ‘martyr’, and without the medal of martyrdom?” Abu Obaida asked. “And how could Marwan Issa, the brain of the Qassam Brigades and its pillar, die in his bed?”


Mohammad Deif seen as a symbol of Palestinian armed struggle

Deif’s evasiveness and leadership of the Qassam Brigades made him emblematic of Palestinian armed struggle even before the October 7 attack.

While Israel was able to kill dozens of Palestinian military leaders over the decades – including many Qassam Brigades commanders like Salah Shehada, Imad Aqel and Yahya Ayash – Deif managed to survive and continue fighting.

Under his guidance, Hamas’s military wing grew from small bands of ill-equipped fighters into the army-like force that launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.

While Deif was based in Gaza, in recent years, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem would chant his name in calling for help against Israel.

A rhyming Arabic chant that began in East Jerusalem became especially popular during the war on Gaza: “Put the sword next to the sword, we are Mohammad Deif’s men.”



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Majority of Israelis ‘do not want to continue this war’

Despite Netanyahu and right-wing Israeli leaders’ suggestion that they may want to resume fighting in Gaza after all captives there are released, most Israelis want the war to be over, Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

“We are going to have a lot of heated rhetoric about how we’re going to have to go back to the war when stage one is over, how we have to complete the deal,” he said.

“Netanyahu is very much committed to going through with the deal because it benefits him politically,” he added. “The majority of the Israeli public, even though it considers Hamas to be subhuman, even though it thinks all Gazans are potential combatants, even though it supported the genocide actively, the majority of Israeli citizens do not want to continue this war.”

“I think Netanyahu is very well aware of that.”


Release of Israeli captive from Jabalia ruins highly symbolic

The release of Israeli captive Agam Berger from Jabalia was symbolic because this is a place that has come under relentless Israeli bombardment and is in ruins.

Despite Israeli army statements saying they had near full operational control of northern Gaza, an Israeli captive emerged from there and was handed to the Red Cross.

The other captives were released in Khan Younis outside the ruins of the home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.


Rebuilding Gaza will take 10 to 15 years: Trump’s envoy

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said that rebuilding Gaza after 15 months of Israel’s war will take at least a decade.

Witkoff made a rare visit by a US official to Gaza this week as part of an “inspection team“.

“People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave,” he claimed. “There is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there.”

He added that completing demolitions and removing the debris alone would take up to five years.

“There is almost nothing left of Gaza,” Witkoff told the news site Axios. “There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years,” Witkoff, a real estate developer, added. “But its impossible. This is a 10- to 15-year rebuilding plan.”



SvennoJ 4 hours ago

Israeli army raids Silwad in West Bank during prisoner’s release

The Israeli army has conducted a military raid on the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah, as former prisoner Moamen Mahmoud Hamed was being reunited with his family after his release as part of the Gaza ceasefire.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency also reported that clashes broke out in Kobar, northwest of Ramallah. Two Palestinians were injured after being shot in the leg by Israeli live bullets, and a 13-year-old was arrested.


Israeli soldier killed, five injured in Jenin fighting: report

An Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded during an exchange of fire with Palestinian fighters in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media.

The Times of Israel identified the slain soldier as 20-year-old Liam Hazi, of the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit. One of the wounded was listed as being in a serious condition.


Israeli military action in West Bank an ‘act of desperation’

The intensification of Israel’s military activity in the West Bank should be seen as an act of desperation driven by the country’s inability to “shape its security surroundings”, Tel Aviv-based analyst Ori Goldberg has told Al Jazeera, rather than a move that follows a clear plan.

“This military operation can and should be seen not as an initial drive towards annexation, but as the last final resort of leadership that has absolutely no other course of action,” Goldberg said.

The analyst added that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was attempting to project himself as fighting “terrorism” ahead of an election that was sure to come in a few months.

“But this is not an operation that has an end game. This is a display of presence and it comes within the context of a failure across the board, a sense of pointlessness,” Goldberg said.



Clinics remain open in West Bank, East Jerusalem: UNRWA

The United Nations Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) says that its clinics remain open in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as Israel’s ban on the agency comes into effect.

UNRWA’s humanitarian work in Gaza also continued, and the agency is committed to “staying and delivering” necessary relief, a UN spokesperson said.

The UN agency has warned that Israel’s ban on its operations operations “will have serious consequences” for the tens of thousands of Palestinians it supports. The agency said earlier that it had not received any official communication on how the Israeli parliament’s bills banning its operation would be implemented.