A ceasefire in Gaza has seen its smoothest exchange yet of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, with Hamas freeing three male hostages on Saturday and Israel releasing 183 Palestinian prisoners. The latest releases were quick and orderly, a contrast to chaotic scenes earlier this week.
The prisoner exchanges are part of the truce’s second phase, which calls for the release of remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the ceasefire in the deadliest war ever between Israel and Hamas. Discussions on the truce will begin Monday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The releases bring relief to families of hostages, who had been waiting for weeks or even months for their loved ones to be freed. For example, American-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, was taken from a kibbutz and released along with his wife, Aviva, during a brief ceasefire last year.
The Israeli Prison Authority confirmed that all 183 prisoners set for release had been freed, including 111 who were arrested after Hamas’ October attack but weren’t involved in it. Seven serving life sentences were transferred to Egypt.
As the truce holds for two weeks, hundreds of trucks of aid have flowed into Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to shattered homes. The Rafah border crossing has also reopened, enabling 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children to leave Gaza for treatment through Egypt.
Ceasefire talks will begin on Monday, with Israel seeking a second phase that includes the release of remaining hostages and an extension of the truce. Hamas demands an end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before releasing the remaining hostages.
Source: https://dayton247now.com/news/nation-world/ceasefire-in-gaza-sees-smooth-exchange-of-hostages-as-rafah-border-reopens-for-aid-benjamin-netanyahu-donald-trump-israel-hamas-war-rafah-palestine-october-7-2023-prisoners