A 4-year-old girl whose parents were killed by Hamas was among 17 hostages freed from Gaza on Sunday, marking the first time a U.S. citizen has been freed since a delicate ceasefire was reached between the terrorist organization and Israel.
Two American women were also reportedly on the list to be released on Sunday, although it was not immediately clear if they were released.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began last week, driven mainly by the release of Hamas hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and the terrorists said Sunday that they want to extend their fragile four-day peace with Israel beyond its end. scheduled for Monday.
Israel’s war cabinet met separately behind closed doors to discuss the possibility, CNN reported.
The Palestinian group said in a statement that it wants to “extend the truce after the four-day period ends, through serious efforts to increase the number of people released from prison as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement,” depending on the medium.
An Israeli source said an extension of the temporary pause in fighting would still require Hamas to release at least 10 prisoners for each day it lasts.
The development came hours after Abigail Mor Edan, who turned 4 years in captivity on Friday after being orphaned in the deadly Oct. 7 raid, was handed over to the Red Cross, senior US officials told CNN.
President Biden had expressed hope on Friday that the young Israeli-American woman would be among those released this weekend, telling reporters: “I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
“Two days ago, one of our fellow Americans, a girl named Abigail, turned 4 years old,” Biden said Sunday in a brief speech while vacationing in Nantucket, Massachusetts. “She spent her birthday, that birthday of hers, and at least 50 days before that, held hostage by Hama.
“Today she is free, and Jill and I, along with so many Americans, are praying for her recovery,” he said, referring to his wife, first lady Jill Biden.
Abigail’s family thanked Biden and the Qatari government, which led the negotiation talks between Israel and Hamas, for the safe release of the 4-year-old girl.
Hostage Abigail Edan, 4, was freed by Hamas on Sunday, according to a report.AP
“Today’s release shows that it is possible,” the boy’s family said in a statement. “We can get all the hostages home. “We have to keep pushing.”
The 17 newly freed hostages, including 14 Israelis and three foreign countries, all of whom were received by the Red Cross, were the third group released since the ceasefire began on Thursday.
Along with Abigail, the other hostages with Israeli citizenship have been identified as: Alma Avraham, 84 years old; Aviva Adrienne Siegel, 62 years old; Ron Krivoi, 25 years old; Agar Brodetz, 40 years old; Ofri Brodetz, 10; Yuval Brodetz, 8; Oriya Brodetz, 4; Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48 years old; Agam Goldstein-Almog, 17 years old; Gal Goldstein-Almog, 11; Tal Goldstein-Almog, 9; Dafna Elyakim, 15 years old, and Ela Elyakim, 8 years old.
Some of them were taken directly to Israel, while others were flown through Egypt, and Avraham was flown directly to an Israeli hospital, the IDF said.
IDF representative Daniel Hagari said Avraham was in critical condition in the hospital, but did not elaborate on his condition.
“There is still a lot of work to be done and our mission will not be complete until everyone, everyone, returns home,” he said during a briefing on Sunday. “This is the moral obligation of every IDF soldier and commander, along with the security system.”
In exchange for the hostages, Israel was releasing 39 Palestinian prisoners, Qatari Foreign Ministry representative Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement.
It was agreed that a fourth exchange would take place on Monday, the last day of the ceasefire.
Hamas has so far released 58 hostages, including 40 Israeli citizens and 18 foreigners.
Hamas said Sunday it would release a Russian hostage “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin” and the Kremlin’s pro-Palestinian stance on the war. Israel reported that the hostage to be released has dual Israeli-Russian citizenship.
In this photo provided by the Israeli military, Hila Rotem Shoshani, a freed hostage, reunites with her uncle on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in Israel.AP
Abigail had been kidnapped by Hamas from the Kfar Aza kibbutz after her father Roy Edan, 43, a photojournalist, and her mother Smadar Edan were killed during the October 7 attack.
His older brothers, ages 6 and 10, survived after hiding in a closet for 14 hours.
Abigail was reportedly in her father’s arms when he and her mother were shot dead by Hamas.
The girl’s family hoped she would be released before her fourth birthday, which was Friday.
“The one thing we’re all clinging to is the hope that now that Abigail is coming home, she’ll be back on Friday,” her aunt, Liz Hirsh Naftali, told CNN Tuesday night.
“Friday is his fourth birthday. We need to see Abigail come out of it and then we can believe it.”
On Saturday, Hamas freed a second group of 13 Israeli hostages and four Thai hostages after hours of agonizing delay, which the terrorists blamed on Israel’s alleged breach of the terms of the four-day pause in hostilities.
An image taken from a video released by the Hamas Media Office shows Hamas terrorists accompanying newly freed Israeli hostage Maya Regev to a Red Cross vehicle in the Gaza Strip early on November 26, 2023. OFFICE FROM HAMAS/AFP MEDIA via Getty Images
At least 70 aid trucks carrying food, water, fuel and medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Saturday.
The aid included nearly 40,000 gallons of fuel and four trucks of natural gas for cooking as part of the ceasefire agreement, which will allow 200 trucks of supplies to enter the war-torn region.
The excruciating negotiations came on the second day of a four-day ceasefire between the terrorist group and the Israeli government and paralyzed the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners who would surrender in exchange for 17 hostages kidnapped in the violent Hamas attack on October 7. incursion.
Four Thai hostages were freed by Hamas on Saturday. HAMAS MEDIA OFFICE/AFP via Getty Images
The Israeli hostages freed on Saturday were identified as Shoshan Haran, 67, Adi Shoham, 38, Yahel Shoham, 3, Naveh Shoham, 8, Shiri Weiss, 53, Noga Weiss, 18, Maya Regev, 21, Hila Rotem, 13, Emily Hand. , 9, Noam Or, 17, Alma Or, 13, Noam Avigdori, 12 and Sharon Avigdori, 52.
The four Thai nationals were identified on Sunday morning as Natthaphon Onkaew, Khomkrit Chombua, Anucha Angkaew and Manee Jirachat.
Israel reportedly received the list of hostages to be released on Sunday from Qatar and notified their families.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn