By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
79-year-old Channah Peri, who has South African nationality was among those freed. Photo: X/@AvivaKlompas.
The first group of hostages released by Hamas under a deal with Israel were safely returned on Friday, bringing to an end the first stage of the painstakingly negotiated arrangement between the warring sides.
The civilians included 13 Israeli women and children who had been captured by Hamas during its brutal cross-border raids on October 7 and held in the besieged Gaza Strip for 48 days amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
Channah Peri, who has South African nationality was among those freed.
She worked in a grocery store and is a mother of three – one of whom was murdered on October 7 and another kidnapped. “She has diabetes, and suffers severe vision loss in one of her eyes,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in a statement.
Meanwhile, more prisoners and captives are set for release on the second day of a four-day truce agreed by Hamas and Israel, as humanitarian aid trucks arrived in northern Gaza.
The four-day truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday after almost seven weeks of relentless bombing by Israel.
The agreement brokered by Qatar brought the first pause in a seven-week-old war that claimed thousands of lives including women and children.
While Palestinians in Gaza enjoyed a night free from Israeli attacks, the happiness is mixed with uncertainty at what follows the brief truce.
More than 14,800 Palestinians, including 6,150 children, have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attack stands at 1,200.