Live blog: Hamas hands 13 Israeli captives, 4 foreign nationals to ICRC

Saturday, November 25, 2023

2105 GMT — Hamas said that its armed wing had handed over 13 Israeli captives and four foreign nationals to the International Red Cross.

The transfer, which had been delayed after Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement, took place "in the context of the humanitarian pause", the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades said in statement.

Obstacles were overcome through Qatari-Egyptian communications to release the captives, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Hamas confirmed earlier the second release of captives would go ahead on Saturday.

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1825 GMT — Two Palestinians killed, three injured by Israeli forces in West Bank: health ministry

At least two Palestinian was killed and three others were injured by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Israeli forces stormed Jenin early on Saturday evening "from several directions, firing bullets and surrounding government hospitals and the headquarters of the Red Crescent Society."

1750 GMT — Egypt trying to resolve delay in second captive release from Gaza - official

Egypt is trying to resolve the delay in the second round of Israeli captive releases from Gaza, a Palestinian official familiar with the matter who did not want to be named told Reuters.

1740 GMT — Israel says war will resume if captives not free; Hamas dismisses threats as 'empty'

The Israeli military says it will resume bombardment of Gaza if Hamas does not release the captives by midnight Israel time (21:00 GMT), local media reports say.

Osama Hamdan, Beirut-based member of Hamas’s political bureau, says Israel’s “empty threats will not change our position”.

“The occupation will not succeed in liberating its prisoners by force,” he said in a news conference.

Hamas said a total of 340 aid trucks entered Gaza since yesterday, 65 of which reached northern Gaza and that number is less than half of what Israel agreed on.

The group also reiterated their commitment to the agreement sponsored by Egypt and Qatar.

Qatar is in ongoing talks with Israel and Hamas to resolve the delay in captive releases "as soon as possible", an official briefed on the situation told Reuters.

1625 GMT — Second round of captives release delayed

The armed wing of Hamas said that it had decided to delay the second round of captive releases until Israel is committed to letting aid trucks enter northern Gaza.

Hamas' Al Qassam Brigades added that the captive releases would be delayed if Israel does not adhere to the agreed terms for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

1515 GMT — 2nd round of captive release delayed

Palestinian prisoners set to be released as part of Israel-Hamas captive swap deal has arrived at Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, Israeli media has stated.

However, Israeli Channel 12 has reported a delay caused by technical reason in starting process of releasing captives.

A cautious calm prevails in Gaza on the second day of the truce, as different areas witness good movement of citizens, according to a TRT Arab correspondent in Gaza.

1550 GMT — Israeli forces injure Palestinian outside Ofer prison: Report

Israeli soldiers shot live rounds at Palestinians outside the military prison near Ramallah, injuring one, local media reports say, as hundreds await the release of second batch of Palestinian detainees.

1516 GMT — Qatari delegation discusses possible truce extension with Israel - official

A Qatari delegation visited Israel on Saturday to discuss a possible extension of a four-day truce between Hamas and Israel that started on Friday, an official briefed on the visit said.

The Qatari operations team also coordinated with Israeli officials to ensure the truce and captive releases continue smoothly, the official said.

1229 GMT — 'Largest' batch of aid sent to northern Gaza since war began: PRCS

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on social media that it has delivered a convoy of 61 trucks carrying aid assistance to “Gaza and the North governates”, calling it the largest such delivery since the war began on October 7.

Gaza is divided into five governorates: North Gaza, Gaza City, Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah.

1117 GMT — Gaza's Indonesian Hospital completely evacuated: Health Ministry

Another in the dwindling list of Gaza hospitals has emptied its wards and halls, with the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza announcing that it has been completely evacuated.

Ashraf Al Qudra, the Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson, made the announcement on Saturday, adding that the remaining injured are also being evacuated fro m the Al Shifa Medical Complex, Gaza’s largest hospital.

“The medical aid that entered the Gaza is insufficient and is much less than what was entering previously,” Qudra told Anadolu, saying that the trickle of aid Israel has let in after ending a total blockade still falls far short of what the over 2 million Gazans need.

He warned that "the health situation in the Gaza Strip is very bad, extremely disastrous.”

“There are no health facilities,” Qudra said, noting that “only three hospitals are operating with very limited capabilities in the northern Gaza, where about 900,000 people live.”

1052 GMT — Thousands expected to take part in pro-Palestinian rally in London

Thousands of protesters were expected to join a pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday, with city police warning demonstrators that anyone deemed to be racist would be arrested at the rally.

A four-day truce agreed between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas saw the release of 24 Israeli captives on Friday, but the UK-based Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which is organising Saturday's march, said it was "only a brief and partial respite for the people of Gaza".

Hamas was expected to release 14 more captives on Saturday, Egyptian security sources said, and Israel prepared to free 42 Palestinian prisoners on the second day of the truce.

PSC called for a permanent halt to the conflict in Gaza.

"We want ... a permanent ceasefire, which can then lead to a political solution, and that we're very, very far away from that and our government should be doing much more to make sure that happens," anti-war activist Lindsey German, who planned to join the rally, told Sky News.

0851 GMT — 14 captives, 42 Palestinians to be swapped under truce deal: Israel

Israeli authorities have said that 14 captives being held in Gaza following the Hamas operation on October 7 would be released, as well as 42 Palestinians seized by Israel, on the second day of a truce deal.

Prison authorities said 42 Palestinians — both male and female — would be freed under the terms of the agreement, which mandates exchanges at a ratio of three to one, and an Israeli official source said 14 captives would be handed over.

0702 GMT — UN Security Council ‘paralysed’ in face of Palestine crisis: Algerian president

The UN Security Council is suffering from “almost complete paralysis” over the siege of Palestine and Palestinians’ ongoing suffering at the hands of Israel, Algeria’s president has said.

“The Israeli settlement occupation is indifferent to the UN Security Council, does not pay any attention to what it says, does not take the slightest account of what it approves, and ignores all the duties, responsibilities, and commitments it imposes,” Abdelmadjid Tebboune said in a speech read out at an African Union Summit in Ciudad de la Paz, Equatorial Guinea.

“Today the international community is witnessing, without any purposeful action or serious political initiative, the succession of crises and conflicts in an accelerating manner,” Tebboune said in the speech, read out by Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf on his behalf.

According to Tebboune, the UN Security Council is “almost completely paralyzed in light of the severe crisis affecting the collective security system in the world.”

0631 GMT — First UK medical mission for Gaza aid reaches Istanbul

The first international medical mission from the UK has arrived in Istanbul, Türkiye as part of humanitarian aid efforts for Gaza.

The aid convoy, called Muslims In Need, is made up of eight ambulances and 36 volunteers, all of Pakistani origin. The volunteers come from diverse professions, including restaurateurs, business owners, and taxi drivers.

They started their four-day journey from London with 50 ambulances, but only 10 were allowed to continue into France, while one broke down along the road. They went through a dozen countries.

Other ambulances are expected to follow in the days to come.

0514 GMT — Ten Thai captives released by Hamas

Ten Thai captives kidnapped by Hamas's October 7 raids into Israel have been released, according to the Thai and Israeli governments, hours after a truce in the Israel-Hamas war began.

Roughly 20 Thais are still among the approximately 215 remaining captives taken by Hamas during last month's wave of cross-border raids into Israel, according to Thailand's foreign ministry and the Israeli army.

The Thai ministry said that 10 Thai captives had been released, revising Friday's statement of 12 captives from Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Israel.

0329 GMT — WHO voices concern over fate of Gaza hospital chief

The World Health Organisation has voiced concern about the fate of the head of Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital, whom Israeli forces detained over the facility's alleged use by Hamas.

The WHO said in a statement that the chief of the biggest hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory had been arrested on Wednesday along with five other health workers, while they were taking part in a UN mission to evacuate patients.

"Three medical personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and three from the Ministry of Health were detained," the WHO said.

Since then two of the six have reportedly been released, but "we do not have information about the well-being of the four remaining health staff, including the director of Al Shifa hospital," the statement added.

0251 GMT — 66 Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7: Media group

At least 66 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to a media group.

“The fatalities included six female journalists,” the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said in a statement.

It said two journalists are still missing, while 31 were detained by Israeli forces.

0219 GMT — Ecuador president to post VP in Israel for peace talks

Ecuador's vice president will take up a post in Tel Aviv to pursue a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, the government in Quito said.

President Daniel Noboa, who took office on Thursday for an abbreviated 18-month term, assigned the peace portfolio to Vice President Veronica Abad as her "sole function," a statement said.

Abad will work out of Ecuador's embassy in Tel Aviv as a "collaborator for peace and to prevent the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Palestine," it said, without specifying when she will travel there or for how long.

"This decision represents a historic milestone, setting a precedent for Ecuador's significant commitment to international peace and underscoring our determination to promote stability in a region affected by protracted conflicts," the government said.

"We thank the government of Ecuador for the effort and interest in mediating for the peace of the people of Israel," the Israeli embassy in Quito said on X, formerly Twitter.

0123 GMT — 134 Palestinians return to Gaza from Egypt on first day of truce

A total of 134 Palestinians returned to besieged Gaza from Egypt on the first day of a humanitarian pause between Hamas and Israel, according to Egyptian authorities.

"Some 200 aid trucks and two ambulances were allowed into Gaza on the first day of the pause," Diaa Rashwan, chairman of Egypt’s State Information Service [SIS], said in statements.

He added that 29 injured people and 15 other people entered Egypt from Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Friday.

0020 GMT — Gaza humanitarian situation much worse: UN refugee agency

The humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza has become much worse, the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency [UNRWA] said.

"Winter is very fast approaching, and it is getting colder in Gaza. Skin diseases and diarrhoea have exponentially increased as a result of unsanitary conditions made much worse by the rain," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said during a visit to the enclave.

"In some places, the rates of diseases are 45 times more than it was in previous years," he said. "Like I said before, it’s only a matter of time before people in Gaza start dying due to the siege and the lack of basics, not just because of the bombardment."

Lazzarini reiterated his demand for a long-standing humanitarian ceasefire in besieged Gaza. "People need respite, they deserve calm, they deserve to sleep at night without being anxious whether they will make it through," he said.

"The longer this war goes on, the deeper the polarisation, the anger, the frustration, and the further we are from a prospect of a political solution."

2250 GMT — Australia welcomes ceasefire as 'important progress'

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the truce marked "important progress" in the conflict, as he welcomed the release of captives by Hamas.

Hamas resistance fighters released 24 captives on Friday during the first day of the war's first ceasefire after guns fell silent in Gaza for the first time in seven weeks.

"Australia welcomes the release of captives and the pause in hostilities to allow humanitarian access to Gaza," Albanese said on social media platform X.

"Today’s developments represent important progress and Australia welcomes them."

In Australia, the conflict has triggered protests from groups of both sides, with thousands turning out for rallies in the country's largest cities.

2215 GMT — Tel Aviv gets second list of captives to be swapped for Palestinians seized by Israel

Israel has confirmed that it received a second list of captives scheduled to be released by the resistance group Hamas and exchanged for more Palestinians held by Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office said authorities reviewed the list, and families of the captives were notified.

According to Israeli Channel 12, 13 captives will be freed on Saturday.

Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinian women and minors from Israeli jails on the first day of a four-day "humanitarian pause."

Under the Israel-Hamas deal, the captives will be released in batches during the four days.

For our live updates from Friday (November 24), click here.