DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) 鈥 Hamas and Israel released more hostages and prisoners under terms of a fragile cease-fire that held for a fifth day Tuesday as international mediators in Qatar worked to extend the truce. The United States urged Israel to better protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza if it follows through on its promise to resume the war.
In the latest swap since the cease-fire began Friday, Israel said 10 of its citizens and two Thai nationals were freed by Hamas and had been returned to Israel. Soon after, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners. The truce is due to end after one more exchange Wednesday night.
For the first time, Israel and Hamas blamed each other for an exchange of fire between troops and militants in northern Gaza. There was no indication it would endanger the truce, which has enabled humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, who heads Israel鈥檚 Mossad intelligence agency, were in Qatar, , to discuss extending the cease-fire and releasing more hostages, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was .
Israel has vowed to resume the war to end Hamas鈥 16-year rule in Gaza and crush its military capabilities once it's clear that no more hostages will be freed under the deal. That would almost certainly require expanding its ground offensive from northern Gaza to the south, where most of Gaza鈥檚 population of 2.3 million is now crowded. It鈥檚 unclear where they would go if Israel does so as and Israel has sealed its border.
The Biden administration it must avoid 鈥渟ignificant further displacement鈥 of and mass casualties among Palestinian civilians if it resumes its offensive, and that it must operate with more precision in southern Gaza than it has in the north, according to U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
Hamas and other militants still hold about 160 hostages out of 240 seized in their that ignited the war. Israel has said it is willing to extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages that Hamas releases, according to the deal But Hamas is expected to make much higher demands for the release of captive Israeli soldiers.
HOSTAGES AND PRISONERS RELEASED
The latest group of Israeli hostages freed from Gaza 鈥 nine women and a 17-year-old 鈥 was flown to hospitals in Israel, the Israeli military said. The hostages were handed over on a street crowded with cheering people, AP video showed. The 17-year-old girl could be seen walking alongside Hamas militants to a waiting Red Cross Jeep with her small, white-haired dog named Bella.
Tuesday's hostage release brought to 60 the number of Israelis freed during the truce. An additional 21 hostages 鈥 19 Thais, one Filipino and one Russian-Israeli 鈥 have been released in separate negotiations since the truce began.
Before the truce, Hamas released four Israeli hostages, and the Israeli army rescued one. Two other hostages were found dead in Gaza.
The latest swap brought to 180 the number of Palestinian women and teenagers freed from Israeli prisons. Most have been teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces. Several released women were convicted by Israeli military courts of attempting to carry out deadly attacks.
The prisoners are widely seen by Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation. Hundreds of Palestinians welcomed the prisoners freed Tuesday in the occupied West Bank.
The freed hostages have mostly stayed out of the public eye, but have started to emerge.
, 78-year-old Ruti Munder told Israel鈥檚 Channel 13 television that she was initially fed well in captivity but that conditions worsened as shortages took hold. She said she was kept in a 鈥渟uffocating鈥 room and slept on plastic chairs with a sheet for nearly 50 days.
NORTHERN GAZA IN RUINS
The cease-fire has allowed residents who remained in Gaza City and other parts of the north to venture out to survey the destruction and try to locate and bury relatives.
In northern Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp, which Israel bombarded heavily for weeks and which troops surrounded in heavy fighting with militants, 鈥測ou come across whole city blocks that have been demolished, just a pancake of concrete layered as buildings have collapsed,鈥 said Thomas White, the Gaza director for the U.N. agency caring for Palestinian refugees.
The agency delivered six trucks of aid to the camp, including supplies for a medical center. Footage of White鈥檚 visit showed streets lined with destroyed buildings, cars, and piles of rubble.
estimates that, across Gaza, over 234,000 homes have been damaged and 46,000 completely destroyed, amounting to around 60% of the territory鈥檚 housing stock. In the north, the destruction 鈥渟everely compromises the ability to meet basic requirements to sustain life,鈥 it said.
More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the , which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. More than 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians killed in the initial attack.
At least 77 soldiers have been killed in Israel鈥檚 ground offensive. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence.
Authorities were able to reopen the dialysis department at after medical teams brought a small generator. Around 20 patients there had gone two or three weeks without dialysis, Dr. Mutasim Salah told Al-Jazeera TV from the hospital.
Two weeks ago, Israeli forces seized the hospital, which Israel contended was used as a major base by Hamas, an accusation that the group and hospital staff deny.
FEARS FOR THE SOUTH
Israel鈥檚 bombardment and ground offensive have , nearly 80% of Gaza鈥檚 population, and most have sought refuge in the south, according to the U.N. Hundreds of thousands of people have packed into U.N.-run schools and other facilities, with many forced to sleep on the streets outside because of overcrowding. Rain and cold winds sweeping across Gaza have made conditions even more miserable.
On Tuesday, Hanan Tayeh returned to her destroyed home in the central town of Johor al-Deek, searching for any belongings.
鈥淚 came to get anything for my daughters. Winter has come, and I have nothing for them to wear,鈥 she said.
The cease-fire has allowed , bringing desperately needed food, water and medicine, as well as fuel for homes, hospitals and water treatment plants. Still, it is less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, even as humanitarian needs have soared.
Juliette Toma, a spokesperson for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said people come to shelters asking for heavy clothes, mattresses and blankets, and that some are sleeping in damaged vehicles.
鈥淭he needs are overwhelming,鈥 she told The Associated Press. 鈥淭hey lost everything, and they need everything.鈥
White House 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that the U.S. has airlifted over 27 tons of Gaza-bound medical items and food aid to a staging area in Egypt. Two more airlifts are planned in the coming days, Sullivan said.
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Keath and Jeffery reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
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Full AP coverage at .
