French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the release of three Franco-Israeli minors held by the Islamist group Hamas. They were among a group of 11 people released late Monday night in exchange for 33 Palestinian prisoners. This came after the two sides agreed to a two-day extension of a truce deal.
Israel said late Monday that 11 more hostages released in the Gaza Strip had arrived safely, just hours after the announcement that a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be extended by two days.
Shortly after, Israel's prison authority said 33 Palestinian inmates had been released.
"The Palestinian and Israeli sides have reached an agreement to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza for two additional days under the same conditions," Qatar's foreign ministry said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
The extension of the truce, which had been scheduled to end at 7:00am (0500 GMT), was welcomed internationally.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as "a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war".
French President Emmanuel Macron was quick to express his relief after the release of the hostages.
"Three of our young nationals are part of the group of hostages released today. Extremely happy with this announcement," he wrote on X, adding that France remained "fully mobilised" to obtain the release of all the hostages, including 5 other French nationals.
Immense joy
Erez and Sahar Kalderon, 12 and 16, as well as Eitan Yahalomi, 12, arrived in Israel as part of the truce agreement.
The releases brought "a sigh of relief to our community, however we remain deeply concerned about our loved ones that are still held hostage," Nir Oz kibbutz official Osnat Peri said.
Kalderon family's lawyers indicated to French news agency AFP that despite the "immense joy" it was "incomplete" because Erez and Sahar's father remains in the hands of Hamas and because there are still hostages.
The other Israelis freed overnight include dual nationals of Germany and Argentina, according to Qatar, which helped mediate the deal.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed the release of the hostages, including "two German teenagers" after "52 days of suffering and despair".
In all, 50 Israeli hostages have been released under the truce deal, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, with another 19 hostages freed under separate agreements, including Thai workers and a dual Russian-Israeli citizen.
Hamas said it was now drawing up lists of additional hostages to be released, though the process is reportedly complicated by the fact that some are held by other militant groups.
More aid needed
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas militants made an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on the 7 October, which also killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, according to officials in the country.
Israel's retaliatory ground and air operation in Gaza has killed almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory's Hamas government.
Israel has been clear that the pause is designed to allow Hamas to free more of the roughly 240 hostages it has been holding.
But there have been widespread calls to use the break in hostilities to allow more humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza.
Most Gaza residents have been displaced and the whole territory is short on essentials such as food, water and medical supplies.
Health catastrophe
Inside Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said that despite the four-day pause, no fuel had been taken to generators in hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Siraj said that without fuel, the territory could not pump clean water or clear waste accumulating in the streets, warning of a potential public health "catastrophe".
At Al-Shifa hospital, which had been a focal point of the war, young Gazans were working to clean up the facility, and "we hope it can soon resume its activities," said Gaza health ministry spokesman Mahmud Hammad.
Elsewhere, a French warship arrived in the Egyptian town of El-Arish, near the border with Gaza, to serve as a hospital for wounded civilians, a port source said.
