Summary
- Crowds have met 39 freed Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank after 13 Israeli and four Thai captives released by Hamas left Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
- The exchange on the second day of the four-day truce was delayed for hours over Hamas’s allegations that Israel was violating the truce deal while families in Gaza returned to find their homes in ruins.
- The PRCS says the Israeli army has besieged two hospitals in the occupied West Bank amid a night of deadly Israeli raids.
- More than 14,800 Palestinians, including 6,150 children, have been killed in Gaza since 7 October. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attack stands at 1,200.
7:50am
Thai PM says four Thais among freed captives, all healthy
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has confirmed that four Thai nationals are among the latest captives freed by Hamas, reports Al-Jazeera.
“Everyone is healthy. No one needed urgent medical attention,” Srettha said in a post on X on Saturday. “Everyone talks and walks normally. Everyone is glad to be released.”
7:35am
Israel spokesman rebukes Irish PM over statement on nine-year-old girl’s release
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy has rebuked Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar over his statement on the release of nine-year-old Irish-Israeli captive Emily Hand.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Varadkar said an “innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned” and “we breathe a massive sign of relief”.
“Our prayers have been answered,” Varadkar said.
Levy on X hit back that Hand had not been “lost” but had been “brutally abducted by the death squads that massacred her neighbours”.
“She wasn’t ‘found’. Hamas knew where she was all along and cynically held her as a hostage. And Hamas didn’t answer your prayers. It answered Israel’s military pressure,” Levy said.
6:45am
Israeli army kills 6 people in West Bank, Palestinian ministry says
Israeli troops have killed six Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in Jenin on Saturday during an incursion into the town, the ministry said.
A 25-year-old doctor was also killed outside his home in Qabatiya, near Jenin, early on Saturday morning, while another Palestinian was killed in el-Bireh, near Ramallah, the ministry said.
6:05am
Berlin ‘relieved’ after release of four German-Israelis
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said she is “greatly relieved” that four German citizens are among the latest captives released by Hamas.
Baerbock thanked Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egypt and the Red Cross for helping secure their release in a post on X.
“Over 200 women, children and men are still in the hands of Hamas,” Baerbock said.
“Our thoughts are with their families. As much as this day gives us hope, it is not a day to rest our efforts. The release of all hostages, especially the German citizens, remains a top priority.”
Baerbock said it was “crucial” that everyone honours their agreements and that the Red Cross is given access to the captives to provide them with medical care.
5:20am
Palestinian families wait to meet freed prisoners
Palestinian families are waiting to meet a second group of 39 Palestinian prisoners who were freed late on Saturday night.
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