The Israeli army renews its warning to Gaza residents not to head north

On Friday, Hamas released the first group of 13 Israeli women and children under a truce agreement, as well as 11 agricultural workers from Thailand and the Philippines, after hostilities in the Gaza Strip halted for the first time in 7 weeks. The ceasefire agreement provides for an exchange of prisoners and detainees between Hamas and Israel for a period of 4 days, which can be extended, keeping in mind that the second batch of the prisoner exchange, on Saturday, is expected to include 14 hostages held by Palestinian activists in Gaza in exchange for 42 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons (24 women and 18 (adolescent minors).

The Israeli military said members of the first group of hostages released on Friday had undergone medical tests and were “in good health.” While two of the hostages were taken directly to hospital for unknown reasons, 22 of the released people were transferred to an air base in the Negev desert before being transferred to hospitals via air force helicopters, where they will be reunited with their relatives.

What do we know about detainees in Gaza?

A Reuters report shows that Hamas militants arrested around 240 people and killed 1,200 others when they attacked Israeli cities on October 7, the Israeli government said. Hamas militants abducted detainees from residential communities and military bases in southern Israel, along with others who were attending an open-air concert.

The Israeli government says that in addition to Israeli citizens, more than half of the detainees hold foreign and dual nationals from around 40 countries, including the United States, Thailand, Britain, France, Argentina, Germany, Chile, Spain and Portugal.

The Israeli government and media said that among those detained were about 40 children, including a 10-month-old baby and preschoolers.

The detainees also include soldiers, elderly people and people with disabilities.

What happened to the prisoners?

The Reuters report explains that Hamas has so far released 28 detainees under the temporary truce agreement. On Friday, 24 detainees were handed over at the Rafah border crossing, including 13 Israelis, as well as 10 Thais and one Filipino. Among the Israeli detainees were 4 children, their mothers and 5 elderly women.

Before concluding the agreement, Hamas released 4 detainees on October 20, including the American Judith Raanan (59 years old) and her daughter Natalie (17 years old) for “humanitarian reasons”, and the Israelis Nurit Cooper (79 years old) and Yoshved Lifshitz (85) on October 23. From the same month.

Reuters adds that Israeli forces managed to free the detained soldier, Uri Magidish, during the ground invasion of Gaza on October 30.

The Israeli army announced earlier this month that the bodies of two women detained in Gaza City had been found, one of whom was soldier Noa Marciano (19).

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, which participated together with Hamas in the October 7 attack, announced the killing of an Israeli prisoner on Tuesday evening, without however identifying her.

Where are the hostages held?

The Reuters report explains that Hamas claims to be hiding hostages in secure locations and tunnels in Gaza. Israel says the group has a vast network of underground tunnels where it stores weapons, conducts operations and uses them to transport its fighters.

Lifshitz, who was released, said that after her abduction she was moved to underground tunnels that she likened to a spider’s web.

The Israeli army says it found evidence that some detainees were inside or under hospitals.

The Israeli army said Sunday that soldier Marciano was killed by Hamas gunmen inside Al-Shifa hospital. The army released a video showing armed men forcing two female detainees into Al-Shifa Hospital on October 7.

How were the prisoners treated?

The captors divided the detainees into small groups, Lifshitz said, adding that she and some other detainees slept on mattresses on the floor of the tunnels. She said that doctors were providing her with medical care and that Hamas wanted to ensure her health.

In October, Hamas released a video showing a health worker treating the injured arm of a 21-year-old French detainee.

That same month, Hamas released another clip showing three female detainees criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu said the detained women were used in “cruel propaganda.”

How did the Israelis react to the taking of the hostages?

Family members of the detainees and thousands of their supporters have pressured the Israeli government to prioritize the release of the hostages out of fear that they will be killed in Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza. According to a Reuters report, they also traveled the world to shed light on the detainee issue.

After the release of the first group of detainees, Netanyahu again announced his commitment to bringing them all back to their homeland.

There was a feeling of happiness among the families of the detainees who returned on Friday, but it was a feeling mixed with concern for those still in Gaza.