Eight Israeli hostages were freed Thursday after Israel and Hamas reached a last-minute deal to extend their ceasefire just minutes before it was set to expire.
Two teenagers kidnapped from a Bedouin village in southern Israel – Aisha al-Ziadna, 17, and her brother Bilal, 18 – were the first to be freed as part of the seventh round of hostage releases.
Hamas also released six other Israeli hostages today, including Mia Schem, 21; Amit Soussana, 40 years old; Ilana Gritzewsky, 30 years old; Nili Margalit, 41 years old; Sapir Cohen, 29 years old; and Shani Goren, 29, as mediators continue to work on agreements to further extend the truce, The Times of Israel reports.
Schem, an Israeli-French citizen, was among dozens of partygoers kidnapped by Hamas during the Tribe of Nova music festival on October 7.
He appeared in a Hamas video a week later receiving medical treatment for an injured arm.
Soussana was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza while she was hiding in a safe room and suffering from a fever, the Times of Israel reports.
While the ceasefire agreement requires Hamas to release 10 hostages for each additional day of peace, the terrorist group said the two additional Russian-Israeli citizens released on Wednesday actually counted toward today’s quota.
Including the eight hostages freed Thursday, Hamas has freed 105 people over the course of the seven-day truce agreement, and Israel is set to release 207 prisoners in return, all women and minors.
The agreement negotiated between Israel and Hamas provides for the release of three prisoners for every hostage released by Hamas.
Aisha al-Ziadna, 17, was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. Courtesy of the family
The al-Ziadna brothers and the four other hostages freed Thursday night are headed to Israeli hospitals to reunite with their families.
The al-Ziadna were residents of Rahat, a predominantly Bedouin Arab city just north of Beersheba, and about 30 kilometers from Gaza.
The teenagers were kidnapped along with their father Yosef, 49, and older brother Hamza, 21, while they were working in the Kibbutz Holit stable.
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Yosef and his sons were working in the barn on October 7 – preparing fodder for the cows, feeding them and milking them – when Hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz, his family told Haaretz earlier this month.
Bilal al-Ziadna, 18, was also captured on October 7. Courtesy of the family
Their relatives only learned of the kidnapping through videos posted online by Hamas after Bilal and Hamza were taken away.
“But we knew that the army had cameras on the road to Gaza, so we asked all relevant agencies to look at the footage,” Yosef’s brother Ali Al-Ziadna told the outlet.
“They did it and they saw them; They brought the images to our house. It showed the four walking – healthy – entering Gaza. “You can see them crossing the border fence.”
Yosef al-Ziadna, an 18-year-old father and 20-year-old grandfather, was taken hostage. Courtesy of family Hamza al-Ziadna, 21, was also captured along with his family. Courtesy of the family
Ali says she worries about her brother, who is a father of 18 and grandfather of 20, because he has diabetes and may not have access to medication.
He says he hopes the fact that the family is Muslim will have some power over their kidnappers.
“Our children are believers, they pray regularly. I hope their captors realize that these are people who deserve mercy, just like the entire group they are a part of. They are workers who work for a living. They went there to make a living, not to fight,” Ali said.
The temporary ceasefire agreement has now entered its seventh day, as mediators work to extend the truce. REUTERS
Lt. Col. Wahid al-Huzeil, head of a nonprofit group that set up a war room to help Bedouin hostages be freed, says the fact that Hamas kidnapped Muslim Israelis makes it clear that war is not religious.
“Hamas wanted to kidnap anyone who had a blue ID card,” he told the outlet, referring to the card that denotes full Israeli citizenship.
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“The fact that Hamas kidnapped innocent civilians, including women and children, shows that this organization does not represent Islam. He only represents himself. “This is a terrorist group.”
The two teens are expected to be released Thursday. AFP via Getty Images
In exchange for the 10 Israeli hostages, the Jewish State will release 30 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, including eight women and 22 minors, all children, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
Given the shaky nature of the ceasefire agreement, it is not yet clear whether Israel and Hamas will be able to negotiate another extension.
Israeli officials have previously stated that peace will not last beyond Sunday.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn