[Noon News]
◀ Anchor ▶
After much negotiation, Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas have implemented a ceasefire agreement and released three Israeli hostages.
There are projections that ongoing tensions over hostage exchanges may lead to a continued period of “unstable ceasefire.”
Reported by Im So-jung.
◀ Report ▶
A large crowd gathered around a white van.
People climbed on the vehicle and aimed their phones at it.
When fighters from Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigade ordered the crowd back with rifles, women got out of the vehicle and were handed over to Red Cross staff.
At around 5 p.m. on the 19th local time, the three Israeli hostages handed over to the International Red Cross in northern Gaza City were transported to the border and flown home to their families by helicopter.
This comes 471 days after they were kidnapped.
[Daniel Hagari/Israeli Army Spokesperson]
“After the massacre on October 7, our mission became clear: to bring all the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza home.”
The news of the hostage release was met with cheers from the people of Israel.
[Shai Dikman/Family of an Israeli Hostage]
“The open door must not close now. 97 hostages, now 94. They must all return to their families.”
The international community, including the United States, also expressed its collective support.
[Joe Biden/President of the United States]
“For the ceasefire to successfully end, it requires the perseverance of our colleagues in Gaza and continued support for them.”
The ceasefire took effect about three hours later than planned because Hamas delayed providing the list of released hostages.
According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli military resumed airstrikes, resulting in at least 19 deaths, claiming Hamas failed to adhere to the agreement.
During the first six weeks of the ceasefire, an additional 30 hostages are to be released.
Hamas has also agreed to receive 90 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right hardliners, insisting there can be no ceasefire until Hamas is destroyed, pose the risk of renewed conflict as troops prepare for withdrawal.
This is Im So-jung with MBC News.
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