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.
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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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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.
World
Israel says it will screen October 7 attacks to Greta Thunberg and other activists after Gaza-bound aid boat ‘diverted’
The Israeli military will show Greta Thunberg and other activists footage of the 7 October attacks after a Gaza-bound aid boat was diverted to Israel, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Early on Monday, the Israeli foreign ministry said that the British-flagged yacht Madleen – operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – “is safely making its way to the shores of Israel”.
All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry added, sharing footage of the activists being handed sandwiches and water.
In a statement via his spokesperson, defence minister Israel Katz said that he has instructed the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to screen footage of the 7 October attacks for those aboard when they arrive at Ashdod Port.
Greta Thunberg was ‘safe and in good spirits’ while en route to Israel, the foreign ministry said. Pic: Israel Foreign Ministry
“Antisemitic Greta and her Hamas-supporting friends should see exactly what the Hamas terrorist organisation – which they came to support and act on behalf of – truly is,” he said.
“They should see the atrocities committed against women, the elderly, and children, and understand whom Israel is fighting to defend itself.”
He then added, “I commend the IDF for its swift and safe takeover” of the vessel, and said the Israeli military “will continue its just and moral fight against the Hamas murderers until their defeat, the release of all hostages, and the full restoration of Israel’s security”.
Ms Thunberg and other activists after their boat was diverted to Israel. Pic: Israel Foreign Ministry
Israel’s foreign ministry said earlier that those aboard the Madleen “are expected to return to their home countries,” and that the humanitarian aid aboard the ship would be transferred to Gaza through established channels.
Ms Thunberg was “safe and in good spirits” while en route to Israel, it added, calling the vessel “the ‘selfie yacht’ of the ‘celebrities'”.
The FFC claimed the passengers on the yacht had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces” and released pre-recorded messages from them after previously saying that the “Israeli army had boarded” the vessel.
Climate campaigner Ms Thunberg, 22, was one of a dozen activists aboard the Madleen, which set sail from Sicily on 1 May on a mission aiming to break Israel’s sea blockade.
Ms Thunberg pictured in a pre-recorded video, released after the Madleen was diverted to Israel. Pic: FFC
The climate campaigner aboard the Madleen on 2 June. Pic: Freedom Flotilla Coalition/Reuters
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, who is of Palestinian descent, was also on the boat.
She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israel’s policies towards Palestinians.
Ms Hassan wrote on X as the FFC’s yacht was allegedly surrounded by other vessels: “The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2am.”
The diversion of the Madleen came after Mr Katz said that he had instructed the IDF to prevent the vessel from reaching the shore and to “take whatever measures necessary”.
The Madleen was heading for Gaza
Addressing Ms Thunberg and the other activists on Sunday, he said: “You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.”
Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month after a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas and preventing the group from importing arms.
But humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless there is an end to the blockade and the 20-month war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign.
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Why is Greta sailing to Gaza?
An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta.
The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.
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Francesca Albanese, United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, also urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade.
She said on social media: “Madleen’s journey may have ended, but the mission isn’t over.
“Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza.”
World
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in ‘critical condition’ after attempted assassination – as 15-year-old suspect arrested
A 15 year-old-boy has been arrested after a Colombian senator running to be the country’s next president was shot and “critically” injured at a campaign rally in Bogota, authorities have said.
Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was targeted during the campaign event in a park in the Fontibon area of the Colombian capital, according to the Attorney General’s office.
He suffered two gunshot wounds when armed assailants shot him from behind and appeared to be bleeding from his head as he was helped by aides and people in the crowd, in a video posted on social media.
According to a medical report at the Santa Fe Foundation hospital, he was admitted there in a “critical condition” and is still undergoing a “neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure”.
Opposition senator Miguel Uribe Turbay on 13 May. Pic: AP
His wife Maria Claudia Tarazone wrote on X that he is “fighting for his life” and urged Colombians to pray for him.
She later said he survived an initial operation for the injuries.
Ms Tarazone said: “Miguel came out of surgery, he made it. Every hour is a critical hour. He fought his first battle, and it went well. This will take time.”
The hospital said Mr Uribe Turbay had procedures on his head and his left thigh, and remained in intensive care as doctors try to stabilise his condition.
Two other people were injured in the attack but the nature of their injuries has not been made public.
A suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was arrested at the scene with a firearm and is being treated for a leg injury, police chief General Carlos Triana said.
The government is offering a $730,000 (£540,000) reward for information and President Gustavo Petro said the investigation will focus on who ordered the attack.
“For now there is nothing more than hypothesis,” he said, adding that failures in security protocols would also be looked into.
People gather outside the hospital where Mr Uribe Turbay is ‘fighting for his life’. Pic: Reuters
Mr Uribe Turbay, who announced his presidential bid for the right-wing Democratic Center Party in March, was accompanied by a team of 21 people at the time of the shooting, his office said, including councilman Andres Barrios.
He was hoping to run in the presidential elections taking place on 31 May next year – and succeed Mr Petro, the country’s first leftist leader.
His mother, who was a journalist, was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the most violent periods in Colombia’s history.
Forensic investigators at the scene of Mr Uribe Turbay’s shooting in Bogota. Pic: AP
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His party described it as an “unacceptable act of violence”, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio condemned it in the “strongest possible terms”.
Writing on X, Mr Rubio also urged Colombia’s current president to “dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials”.
Police outside the hospital where Mr Uribe Turbay is being treated. Pic: AP
Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, who is not related to Mr Uribe Turbay, said the gunman had “attacked the hope of the country, a great husband, son, brother, and a great colleague”.
He cancelled a planned trip to France due to the “seriousness of the events”, his office said in a statement.
Messages of support poured in from elsewhere in Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying: “There is no room or justification for violence in a democracy.”
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa added: “We condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.”
Israel’s defence minister has threatened to “take whatever measures necessary” to stop an aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg from reaching Gaza.
The climate campaigner, 22, is one of a dozen activists aboard the Madleen, which set sail from Sicily last Sunday on a mission aiming to break Israel‘s sea blockade.
The activists have said they plan to reach Gaza‘s territorial waters as early as Sunday to deliver humanitarian aid.
But in a post on X, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said he has instructed the IDF to prevent the vessel reaching shore and to “take whatever measures necessary”.
Addressing Thunberg and the other activists, he said: “You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.”
He wrote: “I have instructed the IDF to act so that the “Madeleine” hate flotilla does not reach the shores of Gaza – and to take any means necessary to that end.
“To the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back – because you will not reach Gaza.
“Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations – at sea, in the air and on land.”
Latest known position of the vessel
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Why is Greta sailing to Gaza?
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament, who is of Palestinian descent, is also on the boat, which is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israel’s policies towards Palestinians.
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Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month after a three-month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas and preventing the group from importing arms.
But humanitarian workers have warned of famine unless there is an end to the blockade and the 20-month war, which was ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 Oct 2023.
An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after another of the group’s vessels was attacked by two drones while sailing in international waters off Malta.
The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship.
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