A brand new group of hostages have been freed Tuesday from Gaza captivity in trade for Palestinian prisoners underneath an prolonged truce, as mediators labored for an enduring halt to the seven-week Israel-Hamas battle.

Ten Israelis and two foreigners have been handed over to the Red Cross and have been “inside Israeli territory”, the military stated.

An AFP journalist noticed masked and armed fighters, some from Hamas and others from Islamic Jihad, hand over the launched hostages to Red Cross officers in Rafah, close to the border with Egypt.

International figures hailed the pause in hostilities and releases of captives as a trigger for hope within the battle sparked by lethal Hamas assaults that prompted an Israeli navy offensive within the Gaza Strip.

Israel and Hamas accused one another of violating the prolonged pause in incidents on Tuesday, although Qatari officers mediating within the battle stated this didn’t knock the truce off observe.

As a two-day extension to the truce gave the impression to be holding Tuesday, US and Israeli intelligence chiefs have been in Doha, capital of Qatar, to debate the “next phase” of the deal, a supply briefed on their go to stated.

Israel and Hamas are underneath worldwide strain to not return to all-out combating when the most recent truce ends on Thursday.

A supply near the Palestinian Islamist motion Hamas earlier informed AFP that Tuesday’s group of 10 Israeli hostages can be freed in return for 30 prisoners held by Israel.

The launch of the 2 overseas hostages got here along with the discharge of the ten Israelis underneath the phrases of the deal.

The truce paused combating that started on October 7 when Hamas militants poured over the border into Israel, killing 1,200 individuals, principally civilians, and kidnapping about 240.

Israel’s retaliatory floor and air operation within the Gaza Strip has killed virtually 15,000 individuals, principally civilians, in keeping with the territory’s Hamas authorities.

– Truce violations alleged –

Palestinian actions denounced what they dubbed “truce violations by the occupier”, and an AFP journalist noticed an Israeli tank fireplace 3 times within the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City as Palestinians tried to return to their houses.

The Israeli navy described the shelling as “warning shots”, saying a tank fired as suspected militants approached military positions. At least one particular person was harm, the AFP reporter noticed.

The military additionally alleged that three explosive units have been detonated close to its forces in northern Gaza, “violating the framework of the operational pause”.

“In one of the locations, terrorists also opened fire at the troops, who responded with fire. A number of soldiers were lightly injured during the incidents,” the military stated, including that its troops have been positioned in compliance with the truce settlement.

Qatar’s overseas ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari reported “some minimal breaches” which, he informed a information convention, “did not harm the essence of the agreement”.

Israeli bombardments since October 7 have left buildings flattened in Gaza and residents strolling by means of the rubble of ruined houses.

“I hope this truce will lead to a complete ceasefire, because we are fed up of sleeping outdoors in the rain, of losing our loved ones and having to flee,” stated Umm Mohammed, who was pushed from her house in northern Gaza by the assault.

“One day for sure I will return… and I hope that my house will be waiting for me,” she informed AFP.

– ‘Next part’ –

Israel has vowed to stay to its battle goal of destroying Hamas and rescuing all remaining hostages.

“The return of the hostages is a bright light for us all,” Israel’s military chief Herzi Halevi stated in a video launched by the navy.

The launch of dozens to date “is also further evidence of the results of significant military pressure and resolute ground operations, which created the conditions for the return of our civilians home”, Halevi stated.

Qatari spokesman Ansari stated that his authorities would use the extension to work for a “sustainable truce”.

The head of the CIA and the director of Israel’s Mossad spy company have been in Doha to debate the truce with Qatar’s prime minister, a supply briefed on their go to stated, asking to not be named as a result of talks’ sensitivity.

The discussions goal “to build on the progress of the extended humanitarian pause agreement and to initiate further discussions about the next phase of a potential deal,” the supply added.

Before the most recent spherical of exchanges on Tuesday, 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners — all girls and minors — had been launched underneath the preliminary truce settlement.

Another 19 hostages held in Gaza have been freed underneath separate offers because the truce started on Friday, together with Thai staff and a twin Russian-Israeli citizen.

Among photos of the hostages launched on Monday, a video launched by the Israeli navy confirmed French-Israeli Eitan Yahalomi, 12, reunited along with his mom, who gripped him tightly to her.

The boy’s aunt informed French information channel BFMTV that his mom had stated he lived by means of “horrors” in captivity, together with being struck by Palestinian civilians and threatened with weapons.

In Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, Palestinian prisoner Muhammad Abu al-Humus referred to as his launch “an indescribable joy” and kissed his mom’s hand as he entered his house.

“I’m very happy. I hope that others will soon be released — my friends, my cousins.”

– Call for Gaza support –

Israel views the truce as a brief measure to safe hostage releases and says it plans to proceed its navy offensive in opposition to Hamas.

“We are committed to completing these missions: freeing all of the hostages, eliminating this terrorist organisation above and below ground,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a video launched by his workplace.

But Israel faces growing strain for a extra lasting ceasefire and the ramp-up of humanitarian support to Gaza, the place an estimated 1.7 million individuals have been displaced, in keeping with the United Nations.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden stated he had warned Israel that its anticipated offensive in southern Gaza should keep away from the sort of mass displacement of civilians seen through the navy’s pummeling of the north.

The World Food Programme stated it had delivered meals to 121,161 individuals in Gaza since Friday, however {that a} excessive threat of famine remained.

“What we see is catastrophic,” stated WFP’s director for the Middle East, Corinne Fleischer.