Sliver of Hope
Hamas released two American hostages held in Gaza on Friday, offering a “sliver of hope” to desperate families, as Israel pounded the densely-populated territory where millions are still awaiting promised aid deliveries.
The Islamist group took more than 200 people hostage when it stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated, or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.
The fate of the hostages has been shrouded in uncertainty, so the release of mother and daughter Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan offered a rare “sliver of hope,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
US President Joe Biden said he was “overjoyed” by the release, which comes days after he visited Israel to express solidarity with the wounded country and press for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
There was little progress on that front, however, with trucks carrying relief the United Nations calls a “lifeline” still stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. There had been hoped aid would begin to trickle across Friday, but Biden said he now expected movement to begin in the “next 24 to 48 hours.”
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and says around 1,500 of the group’s fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area under attack on October 7. Its military campaign has so far leveled entire city blocks in Gaza, killing 4,137 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli troops have massed on the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion that officials have pledged will begin “soon.” But a full-blown land offensive offers a multitude of challenges, including the risk posed to hostages from Israel and around the world held by Hamas.
An Overwhelming Sense of Joy as Hamas Releases American Hostages
The mother-and-daughter pair, abducted from the Nahal Oz kibbutz near the border almost two weeks ago, were released on Friday. There are no immediate details on their condition.
President Biden spoke to them and promised US support for their recovery. Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ political bureau, mediated their release. Efforts are ongoing to secure the return of other Americans held by Hamas.
In Gaza, Israeli jets continued their bombing campaign, hitting over 100 Hamas targets overnight.
The Urgency of ‘Life and Death’ Aid in Gaza
Nearly 2.4 million Palestinians reside in the densely populated Gaza Strip, with almost half displaced, as per the UN. Israel has ceased supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and food to the long-blockaded region.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that humanitarian relief held in Egypt is the crucial difference between life and death for many in Gaza. The World Health Organization’s emergencies director, Michael Ryan, expressed that President Biden’s deal for an initial 20 truck deliveries is merely a drop in the ocean of what’s required, with 2,000 trucks needed.
Over 30% of Gaza’s housing has been destroyed or damaged. Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, cautioned that the operation will be protracted, foreseeing the end of Israel’s responsibilities in Gaza after addressing pockets of resistance.
An Israeli foreign ministry source stated that Israel envisions “handing over the keys” to Egypt, which has rejected the responsibility for Gaza’s residents.
The Urgency of a Peace Summit Amid Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will host a peace summit on Saturday, joined by regional and some Western leaders, amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The international community has witnessed demonstrations across the Middle East, and leaders of Egypt and Jordan have condemned Israel’s “collective punishment” of Palestinians.
Israel’s actions have prompted concerns, leading the United States to move two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter possible involvement from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, both Hamas allies. French President Emmanuel Macron has also sent warnings to Hezbollah against intervening.
