HAMAS has delayed the release of 13 Israeli civilian hostages from Gaza today after nearly 50 days in captivity.
The terror group said the hostages will not be released to their families over alleged violations of the truce deal by Israel.
Another 13 Israeli hostages were set to be released from Gaza by Hamas – but it has been delayed
ReutersOhad Munder, 9, was one of the Israeli civilians let go by Hamas thugs during the first hostage release on Friday[/caption]
The 13 Israeli women and children released by Hamas on Friday
The armed wing of Hamas said the hostage release would be further delayed until Israel agrees to send aid trucks into northern Gaza.
Today is the second day of the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel – where the parties had agreed to exchange 13 Israeli civilian hostages for 39 Palestinians kept in Israeli prisons.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that Hamas delayed the release because Israel only allowed three out of 100 trucks to reach northern Gaza as part of the humanitarian truce deal.
He also claimed that Israel flew drones over southern Gaza, and that it killed two Palestinians in an area of Gaza where civilians are free to move.
And they claimed that Israel made changes to the already agreed list of Palestinian prisoners set to be released.
Earlier today Israeli media reported that some hostages were being handed over to the Red Cross.
A Hamas source told AFP that the handover had begun, before it was blocked.
An Israeli official confirmed that the hostages had not been handed over to the Red Cross.
Israel has denied any breaking of the agreement between the parties and an Israeli source told AFP: “Israel has not violated the agreement”.
It comes after the first 13 women and children to be let go reunited with their families when the terror group handed them over on Friday.
The hostages were pulled from blacked-out vans by masked Hamas militants and passed over to Red Cross workers yesterday evening.
Hamas has agreed to free at least 50 of the 240 hostages it snatched on October 7 over the coming days in return for 150 prisoners kept in Israeli prisons.
Both sides have agreed to release women and children first.
The truce-for-hostages deal was reached after weeks of intense negotiations – with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators.
A total of 24 hostages were freed from Gaza during the first day of the truce, including 13 Israeli women and children, 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino.
No British civilians were released on Friday.
All 13 Israeli hostages were sent to separate hospitals across Israel, where medical staff said most of them appeared to be in good physical health.
Several were sent to Schneider Children’s Medical Center where they reunited with family.
Heartwarming footage released by the children’s hospital showed the moment nine-year-old Ohad Munder saw his dad for the first time in seven weeks.
He was snatched by Hamas terrorists on October 7 – when militants stormed the border and slaughtered over 1,200 innocent civilians – along with his mother Keren and grandmother Ruth.
The clip shows him carrying a cuddly toy, turning a corner in the hospital and waving to two relatives including his father.
Ohad runs to greet them as his dad picks him up and spins him round in a touching reunion.
The nine-year-old boy’s cousin said: “I’m waiting to see Ohad and can’t wait to give him his Rubik’s cube which I know he really loved and he probably missed it so much.
“That’s the first thing he takes everywhere he goes.”
A heartwarming picture also shows 5-year-old Emilia Aloni, who was kidnapped with her mother, reuniting with her grandmother.
Yaffa Adar, 85, who was snatched on October 7 and pictured riding on the back of a Hamas buggy, was also released.
Her granddaughter Orian Adar said her family was “very excited” to see her.
“Her resilience moved us very much, it’s inspiring,” she said.
“We ask everyone to remember, we can’t see the sun yet because there are many more people still out there.
“We need everyone with us at home, don’t stop until the last abductee comes home to us,” Sky News reports.
Yoni Asher, whose wife Doron and daughters – Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2, – was reunited with his family on Friday.
Their four-year-old daughter said: “I dreamt that we were going home,” to which her father said: “We are home, we are going to our house soon.”
More hostages are expected to be released over the coming days during the pause in fighting.
If the ceasefire holds, it will mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago.
The pause in fighting comes after bomb-blitzed Gaza has been relentlessly pummelled by Israel’s airstrikes and ground operation.
Much of the northern part of the strip has been turned into a devastated warzone – with ruined buildings, dwindling supplies and horrific suffering for Gaza’s people.
The Red Cross estimates that some 1.5million civilians have been forced to flee south amid the Israeli onslaught from land, air and sea.
Figures for the death toll remain unverified – but Hamas’ health officials claim more than 11,000 civilians, including more than 4,500 children have been killed.
Israel disputes these figures – and US President Joe Biden said he had “no confidence” in them.
But Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Israel has “not been successful” in reducing civilian casualties.
He said the deaths must be blamed on Hamas – not Israel.
And he insisted that Israel’s mission remains unchanged, stating that the offensive will resume once the ceasefire period ends.
He said: “We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals.”
After the first hostage release on Friday, Netanyahu said: “I emphasise to you, the families, and to you, the citizens of Israel: We are committed to returning all our hostages.
“This is one of the war’s objectives, and we’re committed to achieving all of the war’s objectives.”
An IDF spokesperson had claimed that around 215 hostages remain in Gaza.
Schneider Children’s Medical Center SpokespersonEmilia Aloni, 5, pictured reuniting with her grandmother on Friday after she was snatched with her mother Daniel on October 7[/caption]
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