Israel at war: What happened on day 51?

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant met with IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip on Monday and vowed that the fighting there will resume once the temporary ceasefire is over, and that Israel will engage and defeat Hamas.

Gallant told the soldiers that while they use this time to rest and research, "the enemy is doing the same thing." As such, he said, the enemy "will first meet the bombs of the airforce, then the shells of the tanks and artillery, and then the tracks of the bulldozer, and then finally the shooting of the infantry. We will fight all over the Strip."

Hamas said it has received the list of names of prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons on Monday, according to a statement from the terror group on its Telegram channel.

The list includes three female prisoners whom it named, and another 30 minors the movement said it would identify later on.

Hamas has begun to transfer to the Red Cross the 11 hostages it is releasing to Israel tonight. 

The Red Cross is on its way to a drop-off point to receive 11 hostages released by Hamas as part its agreement with Israel. 

The pause to the Gaza war that was due to expire Tuesday has been extended by two more days, Hamas said on its Telegram page as it appeared ready to release 11 more hostages later tonight.

“Hamas declares that it has agreed with Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanitarian truce for an additional two days under the same conditions as before,” the group stated.

The families of those hostages Hamas is set to release on Monday night have been notified, the Prime Minister’s Office said, prior to Hamas’ announcement.
 
“Following the receipt of the list of the captives who are to be released today (Monday) as part of the [agreed upon] mechanism, the information was given to the families of the captives,” the PMO said.

The thirteen Israelis released from Hamas captivity in Gaza on Sunday, November 26, 2023 (credit: The Jerusalem Post)

The anticipated Hamas release of some 11 Israeli captives had seemed to hit a snag on Monday morning, as Israeli officials expressed concern about the list of those set to be freed.

Hamas had also raised concerns regarding the 33 jailed Palestinian women and minors held on security-related offenses who are set to be freed Monday in exchange.

The deal — which could see nine children and two mothers return home — appeared to be back on track Monday evening, amide news that Qatar and Egypt had secured an extension to the pause in the Gaza war that began on Friday at 10 a.m.

The return of the 11 hostages will mark the fourth and final phase of a deal to exchange to release 50 captives in return for a four-day pause in the Gaza war. 

40 Israelis freed since Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal implemented

The government had approved last week a mechanism by which the deal could be extended beyond Tuesday morning if Hamas would provide an additional ten hostages for every 24-hour period of the extension.

Under the terms of the hostage deal’s mechanism, Israel has agreed to release three jailed Palestinian women or minors for every Israeli hostage that has been freed. To date, Israel has freed 117 Palestinian prisoners., but add additional 33 are set to be freed Monday after the 11 hostages are released.

The terms of the deal, allow for the release of up to 300 Palestinian prisoners and a total of 98 Israeli hostages. The mechanism of the deal is not designed to allow for the release of Israeli men and soldiers — including five women serving in the IDF — held by Hamas. 

The focus of the deal has been on women and children. It was estimated that some 40 children were held in Gaza, not all of whom would have been freed when the first four days of the deal had expired. 

Separate deals have been reached by which one Filipino and 17 Thai citizens have been freed on the sidelines of the deal. Russia also worked out an agreement for the release of an Israeli, who is also one of its citizens.

It is possible however, that elderly Israeli captives could be included in the deal to allow for the pause in the Gaza war to be extended even further and to give Hamas additional time to locate hostages, not all of whom have been held by its group. 

Israel has been under international pressure to halt its military campaign in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ killing of over 1,200 people during its October 7 attack and its seizure of some 240 hostages. 

The international community has been concerned by the high death toll, with Hamas asserting that some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed in war-related violence. It has pressed Israel to permanently halt the Gaza war.

With another round of hostages released on Sunday night, the neglect of Hamas, as well as international medical organizations such as the Red Cross, is being brought to light. 

The family of Alma Avraham, an 84 year old, who was released on Sunday night from Hamas captivity, is speaking up about the treatment she received upon release and the condition she is in.

Alma is currently in critical condition at the Soroka Medical Hospital after being initially treated by the International Committee of Red Cross. 

Alma Avraham, 84, who was released after being taken hostage during the October 7 massacre (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum)

The failure of international medical organizations

Before Alma was helicoptered to the Soroka Medical Center, her family claimed that she was "medically neglected" by international medical organizations that failed to provide her with the immediate medical treatment that she required at the time. 

"My mother did not deserve to be treated like this" stated Alma's daughter, Tal Amu.

According to Tal, she was the victim of a "double betrayal that began on October 7 when she was kidnapped by Hamas, and continued with the failure of international organizations that were supposed to help her in the condition that she was in at the time of her release."

Prior to her kidnapping on October 7, Alma was in relatively good health. However, she did have some underlying health issues requiring medication for treatment.

"No one from the international organizations bothered to create a list with the medications she required" Tal continued. 

"It was Clallit that fought for us. They delivered the medication that Alma required to my brother in person. However, when my brother attempted to pass on the medication to a Red Cross representative at a meeting they held, he was told no, they cannot do that."

Alma's family returned to the Red Cross building a few days after and were once again rejected.

"My mother should not have come back like this. What is the Red Cross there for? What is the UN Women organization for?" said Tal. 

Dr. Nadav Davidovitz, who is currently treating Alma, added, "We were in meetings with the Red Cross and asked them to make every effort to bring the medicines to Alma because some hostages are just dying. What we saw is criminal neglect from a medical and nursing point of view."

Time is of the essence

"After being kidnapped for over 50 days, she was evacuated in critical condition. It is evident that if Alma had not been transferred over yesterday her condition would have deteriorated. She is now sedated and ventilated, and her condition is getting worse. We are fighting for her life," said Dr. Tzachi Slutsky, deputy director of the Soroka hospital.

As Alma continues to receive treatment, her family is pushing to emphasize the importance of getting help and medical assistance sent over to all the hostages who are still being held captive by Hamas.

According to Alma's son, Uri, "Hamas is attempting to create the illusion that it is humanitarian and caregiving. It is not. My mother is proof of the insane cruelty of this organization. Israel and all the international rescue organizations must do everything they can to help the hostages as soon as possible.

"Every hour is critical. If my mother had arrived after another day, she probably would have been alive right now." Uri concluded. 

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a two-day extension of the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, according to reports, presumably in exchange for the further release of Israeli hostages. Details of the agreement are as yet unknown. 

Following hours of uncertainty and last-minute negotiations, Israel announced that a list of hostages to be released by Hamas this evening has been finalized. The release was delayed earlier when the list, which originally included children, mothers, and several elderly, had seemingly been changed to exclude the mothers. The final list is reported to include two mothers and nine children. Whether any elderly are included is unclear. 

Israel has begun to notify families of the hostages in Gaza who are expected to be released this evening, Israeli media report.