 "Hamas releases 17 but killing at Gaza camp casts shadow on truce")
A Palestinian farmer was killed and another injured on Sunday after they were targeted by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip's Maghazi refugee camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, underlining the fragility of the truce between Israel and Hamas fighters.
There was no comment from Israel on the report but there were fears it could jeopardise the third phase of plans to swap 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for 150 prisoners in Israeli jails over a four-day period.
A senior Palestinian source said Sunday's phase looked "complicated". Asked by Reuters if the farmer's killing could delay a third batch of releases, the source replied: “I don’t know”.
Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel on Sunday in the second release of hostages from Hamas captivity in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in a deal briefly endangered by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza. Although overcome by the mediation of Egypt and Qatar, the dispute that threatened the truce to free captives underscored the fragility of the pact to swap 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for 150 prisoners in Israeli jails. Television images showed hostages on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing after leaving Gaza, as Hamas handed the captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross late on Saturday.
Six of the 13 Israelis released were women and seven were teenagers or children. The youngest was three-year-old Yahel Shoham, freed with her mother and brother, although her father remains a hostage. "The released hostages are on their way to hospitals in Israel, where they will re-unite with their families," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Israel released 39 Palestinians - six women and 33 minors - from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said.
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A Palestinian official familiar with the diplomatic moves said Hamas would continue the truce, the first halt in fighting since Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza, raining bombs and shells on the enclave and launching a ground offensive in the north. Some 14,800 people, roughly 40 per cent of them children, have been killed, Palestinian health authorities said on Saturday.
Saturday's swap follows the previous day's initial release of 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly, by Hamas in return for the release of 39 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli prisons.
The four Thais freed on Saturday "want a shower and to contact their relatives", Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on social media platform X, adding that all were safe and showed few ill-effects.
Israel-linked tanker
Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Aden, Yemen, on Sunday, authorities said. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, it comes as at least two other maritime attacks in recent days have been linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
The attackers seized the Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company and private intelligence firm Ambrey said. An American defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, also confirmed the attack took place.
Zodiac called the attack “a suspected piracy incident”.
“Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew onboard,” Zodiac said in a statement. “The Turkish-captained vessel has a multinational crew consisting of a crew of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals. The vessel is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid.” Zodiac described the vessel as being owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc, though other records directly linked Zodiac as the owner.
Meanwhile, Egypt received lists of 13 Israelis and 39 Palestinians scheduled for release during the day as part of a truce between Hamas and Israel.