Israel-Palestine war: More Israelis and Palestinians released from captivity as truce extended
Hamas released an additional 11 Israeli hostages on Monday in exchange for 33 Palestinians who were freed from Israeli jails, bringing the total number of released captives to 69 Israelis and 150 Palestinians.
The latest transfer comes as Qatar announced a two-day extension of the truce between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, which will see more prisoners released from both sides.
The newly released Israeli hostages, all dual nationals, include three French nationals, two Germans and six Argentinians.
On the Palestinian side, the freed prisoners include three women and 30 children.
Israeli police and soldiers prevented journalists from covering the release of Palestinian prisoners and also surrounded the homes of the released Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem to ensure families did not celebrate in front of the press.
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Prior to their release, some prisoners were threatened with re-arrest should their families hold celebrations.
Beatings and arrests
Seperately, Israel has arrested 60 Palestinians in the West Bank on Monday, bringing the total number of arrests to 3,260 since 7 October, as per the Palestinian Prisoners' Club.
Many freed prisoners also spoke of the conditions they endured, including regular beatings and deprivation of basic needs such as sufficient food and hot water. Their treatment got harsher following the start of the current war in Gaza.
“They did not leave us with anything except our mattresses,” one freed boy told Al Jazeera. “They took our blankets too; they did not leave our blankets.”
Six prisoners have died so far since guards harshened their treatment.
One boy had a broken arm, saying guards beat him in his cell and denied him medical care until the Red Cross intervened a week later.
Released Israeli hostages spoke of limited food supplies and living off rice and bread during captivity.
Their conditions also involved avoiding Israeli bombardment and not showering for weeks due to the lack of water.
Israel’s tightened blockade of the Palestinian enclave mean food and water supplies are increasingly scarce for Gaza's population of 2.3 million people.
Hamas said a few weeks earlier that some hostages were among those killed by the bombings. Some former hostages have been hospitalised in Israel following their release.
The latest Israel-Palestine war started when a Hamas-led assault on Israel killed around 1,200 Israelis. Israel’s relentless retaliatory bombing of the Gaza Strip, along with its subsequent ground invasion, has killed over 15,000 Palestinians including 6,150 children.
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