4 months ago
17
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas is acceptable to escaped six much Israeli hostages Saturday from the Gaza Strip, but the speech for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is shadowed by heightened hostility betwixt the adversaries that clouds the aboriginal of the fragile ceasefire deal.
As preparations moved guardant Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge for “a cruel and malicious violation” of the statement centered connected the incorrect recognition released by militants.
The household of Shiri Bibas said Israeli forensic authorities had confirmed the remains released overnight are those of the Israeli parent of 2 young boys. Her remains were handed implicit Friday aft a assemblage handed implicit Thursday had been misidentified arsenic hers but aboriginal determined to beryllium an unidentified Palestinian woman.
“For 16 months we sought certainty, and present that it’s here, it brings nary comfort, though we anticipation it marks the opening of closure,” the Bibas household said.
Three different bodies returned Thursday were confirmed arsenic those of Bibas’ sons and Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 erstwhile each were taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught by Hamas that killed 1,200 successful Israel and ignited the war.
Israel said its tests determined that the hostages had been killed by their captors. Hamas has claimed Lifshitz and the members of the Bibas household were killed successful Israeli airstrikes connected Gaza.
Hamas said it would “conduct a thorough review” of accusation regarding the assemblage and suggested that Israeli bombing of the country wherever hostages were held mightiness person caused a mix-up of remains.
The group’s subject wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said it would spell up with the merchandise of the six Israeli hostages planned for Saturday.
The quality implicit the body’s individuality raised caller uncertainty astir the ceasefire deal, which has paused implicit 15 months of warfare but is nearing the extremity of its archetypal phase. Negotiations implicit a 2nd phase, successful which Hamas would merchandise dozens much hostages successful speech for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, are apt to beryllium adjacent much difficult.
The six Israeli men acceptable for merchandise Saturday are expected to beryllium the past surviving hostages freed during the ceasefire’s archetypal phase.
They see Eliya Cohen, 27; Omer Shem Tov, 22; and Omer Wenkert, 23. All 3 were abducted from a euphony festival during the Oct. 7 attack. Tal Shoham, 40, who was taken from the assemblage of Kibbutz Beeri, is besides acceptable to beryllium released.
Avera Mengistu, 39, and Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, who person been held since crossing into Gaza connected their ain years ago, are besides scheduled to beryllium returned to Israel arsenic portion of the deal.
On Saturday morning, hundreds of radical gathered successful a rainy Rafah successful the confederate Gaza Strip arsenic Hamas prepared to merchandise the hostages.
More than 600 Palestinians jailed successful Israel volition beryllium freed successful exchange, the Palestinian prisoners media bureau said Friday. The prisoners acceptable for merchandise see 50 serving beingness sentences, 60 with agelong sentences, 47 who were released nether a erstwhile hostage-for-prisoner speech and 445 prisoners from Gaza arrested since the warfare began.
Hamas has said it volition besides merchandise 4 much bodies adjacent week, completing the archetypal signifier of the ceasefire. If that program is carried out, Hamas would clasp astir 60 hostages, astir fractional of whom are believed to beryllium alive.
Hamas has said it won’t merchandise the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a afloat Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, with the afloat backing of the Trump administration, says he’s committed to destroying Hamas’ subject and governing capacities and returning each the hostages, goals wide seen arsenic mutually exclusive.
Trump’s connection to region astir 2 cardinal Palestinians from Gaza truthful the U.S. tin ain and rebuild it has thrown the ceasefire into further doubt. His thought has been welcomed by Netanyahu but universally rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries.
Trump said Friday that helium was “a small surprised” by rejections of the connection by Egypt and Jordan and that helium would not enforce it.
“I’ll archer you, the mode to bash it is my plan. I deliberation that’s the program that truly works. But I’m not forcing it. I’m conscionable going to beryllium backmost and urge it,” Trump said successful a Fox News interview.
Israel’s subject violative killed much than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t separate betwixt civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed much than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
The violative destroyed immense areas of Gaza, reducing full neighborhoods to rubble. At its height, the warfare displaced 90% of Gaza’s population. Many person returned to their homes to find thing near and nary mode of rebuilding.
___
Follow AP’s warfare sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
