Israel said on Sunday that 17 hostages and 39 Palestinian detainees had been released in a third round of hostage-for-prisoner swaps on day three of a fragile four-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The news comes after Hamas's armed wing announced the death of its top commander in northern Gaza, Ahmed Al-Ghandour, the group's highest-ranking casualty of the war with Israel. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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Summary:
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Israel said on Sunday that 17 hostages and 39 Palestinian detainees had been released in a third round of hostage-for-prisoner swaps on day three of a fragile four-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
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The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced the death of their top commander in northern Gaza, Ahmed Al-Ghandour, the group's highest-ranking casualty of the war.
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The UN said 248 trucks carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid had entered the Gaza Strip since the start of the truce, adding that 61 trucks had reached the worst-hit northern part of the enclave on Saturday.
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Six Palestinians, including one minor, were shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank late Saturday and early Sunday, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Key developments on Saturday, November 25
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Egypt said it had received positive signals from all parties over a possible extension of the Gaza truce for one or two days.
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The Palestine Red Crescent said it had received 196 trucks loaded with aid through Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt on Friday.
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A container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, a US defence official said. The drone exploded, causing damage to the ship but not injuring any of its crew.
For more, read yesterday's blog here.
Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest in the enclave, receives data from every hospital in the strip. Hospital administrators say they keep records of every wounded person occupying a bed and every body arriving at a morgue. The ministry also collects from other sources including the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”. The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies.
For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
