President Joe Biden expressed his desire for the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas to persist as long as hostages continue to be released. The Palestinian group, Hamas, released 17 more individuals, including a 4-year-old Israeli-American girl, leading to a total of 117 released since the truce began.
The truce, in its fourth and final agreed day on Monday, may be extended if substantial efforts are made to increase the number of Palestinian detainees released by Israel.
Hamas confirmed its intention to prolong the pause in fighting, contingent on Israel’s commitment to releasing more Palestinian prisoners. On Sunday, Israel released 39 teenage Palestinian detainees, bringing the total to 117 since the truce commenced. Hamas handed over 13 Israelis, three Thais, and one with Russian citizenship.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the successful transfer of these individuals from Gaza on Sunday.
President Biden shared the heartbreaking story of the 4-year-old hostage, Abigail Edan, who had witnessed her parents being killed by Hamas fighters on October 7 and had been held captive since then.
Expressing the unimaginable ordeal Abigail endured, Biden thanked those involved in her release during a news conference in the US.
Abigail was on her way to the hospital for checks, and her grandfather, Carmel Edan, expressed disbelief at her return, thanking President Biden for the assistance.
The four-day truce, agreed upon last week between Israel and Hamas, marks the first cessation of hostilities in seven weeks since Hamas initiated a violent incursion, resulting in casualties and hostages.
In response, Israel launched airstrikes and a ground offensive, causing significant casualties and displacement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed to President Biden his willingness to extend the truce if it meant the release of 10 captives every additional day.
However, Netanyahu emphasized that, at the truce’s conclusion, Israel would resume efforts to achieve its goals: eliminating Hamas, preventing Gaza’s return to its previous state, and securing the release of all hostages.
The freed prisoners received a joyous reception in Ramallah, as reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
One of the released detainees, 17-year-old Omar Abdullah Al Hajj, revealed that he had been kept in the dark about events in the outside world during his captivity.
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