Footage shows Red Cross convoy transporting hostages through the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt
Footage shows a Red Cross convoy transporting hostages through the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt as part of a truce deal between Hamas and Israel.
The 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas are now in Israel and have undergone initial medical checks. They were taken to hospital and then reunited with their families.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari has said the hostages will be “returning home tonight”.
Four children and five elderly women are among the released hostages, Israel has confirmed – as Qatar’s foreign ministry said 39 Palestinian prisoners who were detained in Israeli jails have been released as part of the truce deal.
Meanwhile, 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino hostage have also been released by Hamas, Sky News understands. The Thai and Filipino hostages were released as part of a separate deal with Hamas mediated by Qatar and Egypt, a source told Reuters.
The nationality of the hostages in the convoy in the video is not clear. They had been held captive for 49 days.
Images have emerged of hostages on the Egypt side of the Rafah crossing after arriving from Gaza.
Israel-Gaza latest – follow live
Who are the released Israeli hostages?
A released hostage in Egypt
Released hostages in Egypt
Young children and their mothers among those released
Ohad Munder, 9, and his 54-year-old mother Keren Munder, who were kidnapped together, are among the released Israeli hostages.
Doron Katz, 34, her two-year-old daughter Aviv and her four-year-old daughter Raz have also been freed after they were kidnapped together.
Three women – Adina Moshe, 72, Margalit Mozes, 78, and Channa Peri, 79 – have also been released by Hamas.
Israel’s ministry of health held a news conference at the Schneider Children’s Medical Centre in Petah Tikva where eight hostages were reunited with their families.
A spokesperson said: “We all anxiously awaited their return and are elated to see the day that they have come home to us.”
Dr Efrat Bron-Harlev, the CEO of the medical centre, added: “I was thrilled to be the one to receive four children, three mothers and a grandmother to the best and most caring hands here.
“There are not enough words to express the emotion that we are feeling at this time, together with the families and the entire nation of Israel.”
Some 50 women and children being held by Hamas are due to be freed during the truce period.
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The children released by Hamas
Israel says it ‘must not be complacent’
Meanwhile, Mr Hagari said during a news conference earlier: “We mustn’t forget this evening that each and every one of those returning home tonight still has a family member who has been murdered or has been held captive in Gaza.”
He continued: “The sight of the hostages returning home and crossing into Israel gave us a great sense of relief and yet our heart goes out to all the other hostages still kept in Gaza.”
Mr Hagari said the Israeli military will complete its preparations for the “next stage”, adding: “During the ceasefire we must all remain alert, we must not become complacent.”
US President Joe Biden has said the hostage releases are “the start of a process”, adding: “We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow.”
Adina Moshe, 72, has been released as part of the truce deal
Margalit Mozes has been released
Palestinian teenage prisoners to be released
The Israeli military has fired tear gas and stun grenades at crowds in the West Bank as they celebrated the release of the 39 Palestinian prisoners.
Freed prisoners have been photographed among the crowds – with some on people’s shoulders or standing on top of vehicles.
The released prisoners are the first group of a total 150 Palestinian detainees expected to be freed in the coming days.
Israel published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners from which the 150 who will be released will be drawn. The list includes 124 prisoners who were aged 17 or under, 11 of whom were 14 or 15.
Women make up 33 of the listed prisoners, with the youngest among them a 15-year-old girl.
The list of offences assigned to the prisoners includes attempted murder, throwing stones and being associated with Hamas.
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A released Palestinian prisoner reacts as he leaves the Israeli military prison,
Released Palestinian prisoners wave flags atop a car as they leave the Israeli military prison
People warned not return to homes in northern Gaza
Meanwhile, Israel has said it would stop its offensive on the Gaza Strip for an extra day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas.
As part of the agreement, humanitarian relief, medical and fuel aid are to be allowed into the entirety of the besieged enclave, which has been gripped by a humanitarian crisis following weeks of Israeli bombardment, with fuel and medical supplies cut off.
Israel will also halt surveillance in southern Gaza and curtail it to six hours a day in the north.
It comes as the Israeli military has warned hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge in southern Gaza not to attempt to return to their homes in the northern half of the territory, which has been the focus of the ground offensive against Hamas, describing it as a “dangerous war zone”.
Despite the cessation in hostilities both sides have warned the war is far from over.
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Crowds celebrate in West Bank
Israel launched its onslaught on Gaza after insurgents stormed across the border fence on 7 October – killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages.
Israel’s retaliation against the Hamas-ruled territory has killed some 14,000 Gazans, around 40% of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
It is the bloodiest episode in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
To the sound of mournful chants and the slow beat of drums, they march, whipping their backs with metal flails.
It is an ancient ceremony going back almost 14 centuries – the Shia commemoration of Ashura.
But this year in particular has poignant significance for Iranians.
The devout remember the betrayal and death of the Imam Hussein as if it happened yesterday.
Iranians gather ahead of Ashura
We filmed men and women weep as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran.
The grandson of the Prophet Muhammad was killed by the armies of the Caliph Yazid in the seventh century Battle of Karbala.
Shia Muslims mark the anniversary every year and reflect on the virtue it celebrates – of resistance against oppression and injustice. But more so than ever this year, in the wake of Israel and America’s attacks on their country.
The story is one of prevailing over adversity and deception. A sense of betrayal is keenly felt here by people and officials.
Men and women weeped as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine
Many Iranians believe they were lured into pursuing diplomacy as part of a ruse by the US.
Iran believed it was making diplomatic progress in talks with America, which it hoped could lead to a deal. Then Israel launched its attacks and, instead of condemning them, the US joined in.
“Death to Israel” chants resounded outside the mosque in skies that for 12 days were filled with the sounds of Israeli jets.
There is a renewed sense of defiance here.
One man told us: “The lesson to be learned from Hussein is not to give in to oppression, even if it is the most powerful force in the world.”
‘I don’t think about Trump. Nobody likes him,’ one woman tells Sky News
A woman was dismissive about the US president.
“I don’t think about Trump. Nobody likes him. He always wants to attack too many countries.”
Pictures on billboards nearby link Imam Hussein’s story and current events. They show the seventh century imam on horseback alongside images of modern missiles and drones from the present day.
Other huge signs remember the dead. Iran says almost 1,000 people were killed in the strikes, many of them women and children.
Officially Iran is projecting defiance, but not closing the door to diplomacy.
Government spokeswoman Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani told Sky News that Israel should not even think about attacking again.
“We are very strong in defence, and as state officials have announced, this time Israel will receive an even stronger response compared to previous times. We hope that Israel will not make such a mistake.”
Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani said it would be a mistake for Israel to attack again
But there is also a hint of conciliation. Senior Iranian officials have told Sky News back-channel efforts are under way to explore new talks with the US.
Israel had hoped its attacks could topple the Iranian leadership. Those hopes proved unfounded. The government is in control here.
For many Iranians it seems quite the opposite happened – the 12-day war has brought them closer together.
World
Two security workers injured after grenades thrown at aid site, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says
Two American security workers in Gaza were injured after grenades were thrown during food distribution in Khan Younis, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said.
In a statement, the US and Israeli-backed aid group said a targeted terrorist attack was carried out at one of its sites in southern Gaza on Saturday morning.
The two Americans injured “are receiving medical treatment and are in stable condition,” it said, adding that the delivery of aid was “otherwise successful” and that “no local aid workers or civilians were harmed”.
GHF didn’t say exactly when the incident happened but claimed Hamas was behind the attack, adding: “GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers, and the civilians who rely on our sites for food.
“Today’s attack tragically affirms those warnings.”
Later, the aid group posted a picture on social media, which it said showed “fragments of a grenade packed with ball bearings” that was used in the attack.
Asked by Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, whether the two injured individuals were responsible for handing out aid or were responsible for providing security, GHF said they were “American security workers” and “two American veterans.”
The aid group did not provide specific evidence that Hamas was behind the attack.
The US and Israeli-backed group has been primarily responsible for aid distribution since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade of the Gaza Strip in May.
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It comes after Sky News analysis showed GHF aid distributions are associated with a significant increase in deaths in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 600 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid from GHF sites as of 3 July, which charities and the UN have branded “death traps”.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press has reported that Israeli-backed American contractors guarding GHF aid centres in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades.
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Contractors allege colleagues ‘fired on Palestinians’
GHF has vehemently denied the accusations, adding that it investigated AP’s allegations and found them to be “categorically false”.
Israel’s military added that it fires only warning shots and is investigating reports of civilian harm.
It denies deliberately shooting at any innocent civilians and says it’s examining how to reduce “friction with the population” in the areas surrounding the distribution centres.
Hamas has said it has “submitted its positive response” to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza to mediators.
The proposal for a 60-day ceasefire was presented by US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing hard for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to visit the White House next week to discuss a deal.
Mr Trump said Israel had agreed to his proposed ceasefire terms, and he urged Hamas to accept the deal as well.
Hamas’ “positive” response to the proposal had slightly different wording on three issues around humanitarian aid, the status of the Israeli Defence Forces inside Gaza and the language around guarantees beyond the 60-day ceasefire, a source with knowledge of the negotiations revealed.
But the source told Sky News: “Things are looking good.”
A woman cries after her son was killed while on his way to an aid distribution centre. Pic: AP/Jehad Alshrafi
Hamas said it is “fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework” without elaborating on what needed to be worked out in the proposal’s implementation.
The US said during the ceasefire it would “work with all parties to end the war”.
A Hamas official said on condition of anonymity that the truce could start as early as next week.
An Israeli army tank advances in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel. Pic: AP/Leo Correa
But he added that talks were needed first to establish how many Palestinian prisoners would be released in return for each freed Israeli hostage and to specify the amount of humanitarian aid that will be allowed to enter Gaza during the ceasefire.
He said negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in return for the release of the remaining hostages would start on the first day of the truce.
Hamas has been seeking guarantees that the 60-day ceasefire would lead to a total end to the nearly 21-month-old war, which caused previous rounds of negotiations to fail as Mr Netanyahu has insisted that Israel would continue fighting in Gaza to ensure the destruction of Hamas.
The Hamas official said that Mr Trump has guaranteed that the ceasefire will extend beyond 60 days if necessary to reach a peace deal, but there is no confirmation from the US of such a guarantee.
Speaking to journalists on Air Force One, Mr Trump welcomed Hamas’s “positive spirit” to the proposal, adding that there could be a ceasefire deal by next week.
Palestinians dispersing away from tear gas fired at an aid distribution site in Gaza. Pic: AP
A girl mourns the loss of her father, who was killed while heading to an aid distribution hub. Pic: AP/Jehad Alshrafi
Hamas also said it wants more aid to flow through the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, which comes as the UN human rights officer said it recorded 613 Palestinians killed in Gaza within a month while trying to obtain aid.
Most of them were said to have been killed while trying to reach food distribution points by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, said the agency was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings, but added that “it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points” operated by GHF.
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The man in the room acting as backchannel for Hamas in negotiations with US
GHF reacts to claims US contractors fired at Palestinians
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Palestinians carry aid packages near the GHF distribution centre in Khan Younis. Pic: AP/Abdel Kareem Hana
Ms Shamdasani said that of the total tallied, 509 killings were “GHF-related”, meaning at or near its distribution sites.
The GHF accused the UN of taking its casualty figures “directly from the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry” and of trying “to falsely smear our effort”, which echoed statements to Sky News by the executive director of GHF, Johnnie Moore.
Mr Moore called the UN figures a “disinformation campaign” that is “meant to shut down our efforts” in the Gaza Strip.
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