Gaza truce must hold to allow more emergency aid into territory – Red Cross
Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners on Saturday as the temporary truce in Gaza continued.
The temporary ceasefire and exchange of hostages in Gaza must hold so more emergency aid can be brought into the territory, the Red Cross has warned.
Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners on Saturday as the temporary truce in Gaza continued.
The hostages were transferred to Israel late on Saturday night, after Hamas delayed the release by several hours, accusing Israel of violating the terms of a truce deal.
A total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed during the four-day truce as part of the agreement.
Pascal Hundt, Red Cross’s crisis response director, told Sky News on Sunday: “The population and the situation is so desperate here that you know we need this truce to hold in order to have more trucks and more emergency assistance coming into Gaza.
“So that’s why I hope, I’m not confident, I don’t know, we will see, but I really do hope that everything goes without any problem as we saw during the last two operations.”
Mr Hundt said an extension to the ceasefire was as critical for the general population as it was for hostages as people in Gaza were “living under conditions that I cannot even describe, because I never saw that in my entire career with the Red Cross”.
Having been in the cars that brought the hostages across into Egypt, Mr Hundt said the release was “so charged emotionally” and aid workers were almost crying with joy.
More exchanges are expected to take place on Sunday, after Israel confirmed it had received the list of a third group of hostages set for release.
Mr Hundt reiterated the Red Cross had remained on standby throughout and was ready to offer support if any complications arose.
He added that he “cannot make any predictions” on the proposed third day of truce, but that the Red Cross was taking “a step-by-step approach” to the ongoing negotiations.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
