Hamas and Israel completed a second prisoner swap on Saturday night. In doing so, Hamas freed 13 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals while Israel set 39 Palestinians free. The hostage exchange is part of a four-day pause in the war between the two sides. Hamas originally captured around 240 hostages during their attack on October 7.
Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Friday that the first hostages “underwent an initial medical assessment inside Israeli territory” and soldiers would accompany them to hospitals “where they will be reunited with their families.” According to NBC News, a senior Israeli government official told the outlet that the agreement came as a result of pressure from President Joe Biden. “Just a couple of days ago, Biden came with the final deal saying a five-day pause and Netanyahu said four days,” they told the outlet. “This deal was a Biden deal, not a Netanyahu deal.”
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Israel Releases Dozens Of Palestinian Prisoners
Not everyone has had a positive response to the hostage deal. Former President Donald Trump took a subtle shot at Biden while discussing the agreement on Saturday. “Has anybody noticed that Hamas has returned people from other Countries but, so far, has not returned one American Hostage?” he wrote on Truth Social. “There is only one reason for that, NO RESPECT FOR OUR COUNTRY OR OUR LEADERSHIP. This is a very sad and dark period of America!”
Hamas is expected to release 50 hostages, while Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the swap. Be on the lookout for further updates on HotNewHipHop.
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