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Israel, Hamas Appear to Abide by Truce, Discuss Further Extensions
Hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas terrorists to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel amid a temporary truce, in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip, in this screengrab taken from video released Nov. 27, 2023. Photo: Hamas Military Wing/Handout via REUTERS
Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists appeared to be abiding by a truce for a fifth morning on Tuesday, after a four-day ceasefire was extended at the last minute for at least two days to let more hostages go free.
A single column of black smoke could be seen rising above the northern Gaza war zone from across the fence in Israel, but there was no sign of jets in the sky or rumble of explosions.
Both sides reported some Israeli tank fire in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City in the morning, but there were immediate reports of casualties. A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said: “After suspects approached IDF troops, an IDF tank fired a warning shot.”
During the truce, Hamas terrorists released 50 Israeli women and children as young as toddlers from among the 240 hostages they captured in southern Israel during a deadly rampage on Oct. 7. In return, Israel released 150 security detainees from its jails, all women and teenagers.
Hamas also separately released 19 foreign hostages, mainly Thai farmworkers, under separate deals parallel to the truce agreement.
Israel has said the truce could extend indefinitely as long as Hamas continues to release at least 10 hostages per day. But with fewer women and children left in captivity, keeping the guns quiet beyond Wednesday could require negotiating to free at least some Israeli men for the first time.
“We hope the Occupation (Israel) abides (by the agreement) in the next two days because we are seeking a new agreement, besides women and children, whereby other categories that we have that we can swap,” Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Jazeera late on Monday.
That, he said, would entail “going towards an additional time period to continue swapping people at this stage.”
Israeli security cabinet minister Gideon Saar told Army Radio that the two-day extension had been agreed under the terms of the original offer, and Israel remained willing to extend the truce further if more hostages were released. Israelis would know when the truce was over because the fighting would begin again.
“Immediately upon the completion of the hostage-recovery framework, the warfighting will be renewed,” he said. “We have every intention of implementing the goals of the war as it applies to toppling Hamas in Gaza.”
The truce so far has brought the first respite to the Gaza Strip in seven weeks, during which Israel bombed swathes of the territory, especially the north, including Gaza City.
More aid was able to reach the territory, which had been under an Israeli siege.
Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that rules Gaza, after its gunmen burst across the fence and went on a spree, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 240 captives.
Since then, Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza say thousands of Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s military campaign of air strikes and ground operations. Experts have cast doubt on the reliability of casualty numbers coming out of Gaza.
As Israel released the final 33 detainees under the original agreement on Monday night from its Ofer prison in the West Bank, its forces clashed with some of the dozens of Palestinians waiting outside.
Some of the protesters waved the flags of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian terrorist group that seized hostages on Oct. 7. The Palestinian health ministry said one Palestinian was killed in the area. Israel had no immediate comment on the incident.
Israel added an additional 50 Palestinian women to its list of 300 detainees cleared for release under the truce, seen as a sign it was prepared to negotiate for more hostages to go free under further extensions.
Any release of male Israeli civilians would be expected to begin with fathers and husbands captured along with the children and women freed in recent days, like Ofer Calderon, whose daughters Sahar and Erez were freed on Monday.
“It is difficult to go from a state of endless anxiety about their fate to a state of relief and joy,” said Ido Dan, a relative, about the release of the two girls.
“This is an exciting and heart-filling moment but … it is the beginning of a difficult rehabilitation process for Sahar and Erez, who are still young and have been through an unbearable experience.”
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Maldives to Ban Israelis Amid Rising Public Anger over Gaza War
A short 20 minutes’ speedboat ride from Male will bring you to this island resort destination, featuring a collection of luxury beach and water villas and award-winning spa. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
i24 News – The Maldives government has announced its decision to ban Israeli citizens from entering the country, as public anger escalates in the predominantly Muslim nation over the ongoing war in Gaza.
Known for its luxurious resorts, the Indian Ocean archipelago will be changing its laws to implement this new policy.
In a statement from the president’s office, it was revealed that the Cabinet has decided to prohibit Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives.
Last year, nearly 11,000 Israelis visited the Maldives, accounting for 0.6 percent of the total tourist arrivals.
In December, Israel issued a travel warning for its citizens against visiting the Maldives, citing increased anti-Israel sentiment during the war with Hamas. The warning highlighted the “heightened anti-Israel atmosphere, including public comments by officials.”
While Israel does not have diplomatic ties with the Maldives, Israeli tourists had previously been allowed to visit the picturesque island atolls.
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White House: Israel Has Achieved Most Military Goals in Gaza
US White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby holds a news briefing at the White House in Washington, US, Aug. 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Jim Bourg
i24 News – Israel has achieved the majority of its military objectives in its war against Hamas, according to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Speaking on ABC News’ “This Week,” Kirby elaborated on President Joe Biden’s recent assertion that Hamas can no longer mount an attack similar to the one on October 7.
Kirby explained that this assessment is grounded in “our own intelligence assessments across the intelligence agencies.”
He clarified that the U.S. is not claiming that Hamas has been entirely eliminated or that it no longer poses a threat.
“We have not said that Hamas has no military capabilities,” Kirby emphasized. “We have not said that they don’t still represent a viable threat to the Israeli people. Of course they do.”
However, Kirby asserted that Hamas lacks the military capacity to replicate the scale of the October 7 attack.
“From a military perspective only — as President Biden said — the Israelis have accomplished most of their goals in Gaza,” he stated.
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Families of Israeli Hostages Lead Israel Parade in New York City
Posters in Paris broadcasting the plight of Israeli hostages in Gaza covered over with pro-Palestinian messages. Photo: Reuters/Magali Cohen
i24 News – In a powerful display of solidarity, over 70 family members of Israeli hostages led the annual Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
They were joined by over 50,000 marchers, chanting “bring them home now,” to demand the release of the 125 hostages still held captive by Hamas.
The traditional support parade for Israel saw participation from New York’s Jewish and Israeli communities, demonstrating their unwavering love for Israel and support for the families of the hostages.
This year, the parade particularly focused on urging the approval of a deal proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the hostages’ release.
The march was bolstered by the presence of more than 3,500 supporters of the families’ headquarters in New York, all wearing shirts emblazoned with the slogan “bring them home now!”
This group represented the largest contingent in the parade’s history. Along the parade route, the families of the abductees were met with enthusiastic support from tens of thousands of participants, including prominent leaders such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Aviva Siegel, a survivor of captivity, shared her heartfelt message with the crowd: “When I was in captivity, I felt the energy being sent to me and knew people were doing everything to bring me home. I’m sure Keith feels it now too. This parade and the tremendous support we receive here is another proof of the importance of the presence of Jews around the world. Together we will bring everyone home.”
Rubi Chen, the father of abducted spaceman Itai Chen, echoed these sentiments.
BREAKING: EDEN GOLAN 🩷opens the Israel parade in New York*
Eden opened the Israel Parade today on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York, in which tens of thousands of Jews from all around the world participated.
Golan was invited as a guest of honor to the parade and led it… pic.twitter.com/Ob8oFgoVoY
— Iris (@streetwize) June 2, 2024
“As someone who was born and raised in New York, the twin disaster showed the world how New Yorkers stand together in any situation. Now I would like to thank the New Yorkers who are supporting me and our son in this difficult time and demanding the release of the 125 abductees.”
Chen added, “We are in critical days, this is the time for leadership. I call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to advance the deal that will return all the abductees – the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial.”
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