30 Palestinians freed in exchange for 10 Israelis

AFP | Jerusalem

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel’s prison authority said yesterday that 30 Palestinian prisoners had been released on the fifth day of the truce pausing fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The announcement came after 10 Israeli hostages returned to Israel under the terms of the deal following their release by Hamas fighters, along with two additional Thai hostages.

Ten Israelis and two foreigners were handed over to the Red Cross officials in Rafah, near the border with Egypt. International figures hailed the pause in hostilities and releases of captives as a cause for hope in the conflict sparked by deadly Hamas attacks that prompted an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the extended pause in incidents ysterday, though Qatari officials mediating in the conflict said this did not knock the truce off track. The truce paused fighting that began on October 7 when Hamas fighters poured over the border into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240.