As humanitarian aid trucks arrive in northern Gaza on the second day of a four-day truce agreed upon by Hamas and Israel, more prisoners and captives are scheduled to be released.
Following their release from Israeli jails and their detention in Gaza, thirty-nine Palestinians and thirteen Israelis were greeted at home. Also released from Gaza are ten Thais and one Filipino, who will shortly return home.
Palestinians in Gaza celebrate a night without Israeli attacks, but their delight is tempered with apprehension about what may happen after the short ceasefire.
Since October 7, about 14,800 Palestinians have died in Gaza, including 6,150 children. The official number of Israeli deaths from the Hamas onslaught is 1,200.
Gaza's humanitarian crisis is extremely "difficult."
The four-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to Aed Yaghi, director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, is insufficient to address the numerous difficulties that the residents of the enclave are facing.
“The circumstances are too challenging. In the south, there are 1.6 million Palestinians. The shelters are overly full. It is insufficient for even 10% of these individuals, he said from Khan Younis to Al Jazeera.
“There isn’t enough sanitation or clean water.”
Yaghi added that the relief organization has lost touch with its employees in northern Gaza, the area most affected by the conflict. “We are concerned for our teams’ safety.”
The precise hour of the Palestinian captives’ release is still unknown.
We’ve also learned material in the last hour that may cast doubt on the final total.
24 children and 18 women are among the 42 people who are reportedly set to be released. However, after contacting with Palestinian organizations, we have learned that the actual number may only be 39 today.
Everything happens quickly and at the last minute.
Here’s a recap
In Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, it is now past noon local time (11:00 GMT). In case you’re new here, let me briefly summarize the most recent happenings during the last several hours:
Egypt claims to have acquired a list from Hamas listing the 14 prisoners scheduled for release from Gaza later today.
The agreement also calls for the release of 14 Palestinian prisoners, including 24 juvenile boys and 18 women, who were detained in Israeli jails.
During an Israeli operation on Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank, a 25-year-old Palestinian man was killed and two others were injured.
In northern Gaza, humanitarian aid is being handed for the first time since October 7.
The Israeli military declared that it is “moving forward” with Abu Salmiya, the director of al-Shifa Hospital, being questioned.
More from the camp of refugees in Bureij
Another camp inmate, who had just returned to assess the state of his house, was also interviewed by Hisham Zaqout of Al Jazeera.
“To be honest, I never imagined the scale of destruction—not even one percent of it,” said the young man.
“My house was bombarded. It sustained damage and is now unfit for habitationIt must be rebuilt from the ground up,” he said.
He said that it would be better to live in a home without walls “than get humiliated in overcrowded UN schools” when asked how he could return there.
We imagine that seawater is freshwater by drinking it. How are we going to respond?