After the release of the first hostages held in the Gaza Strip, the Islamist Hamas has committed to a ceasefire with Israel. “We reiterate our commitment to the agreement reached and the associated timetables as long as the occupation (Israel, editor’s note) adheres to it,” said Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades. She described the agreement as the result of the Palestinian people’s steadfast resistance to Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday morning the return to Israel of the first hostages held by Islamists in the Gaza Strip for more than two years and welcomed the seven men. “We have waited 738 days to say this: welcome home,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on Platform
Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed the hope that Israel and the Palestinians would renounce violence in the Middle East conflict. “I hope that the Palestinian people will now find a way to free themselves from Hamas,” said the CDU politician on Deutschlandfunk. It is “in the Palestinians’ own interest” that they peacefully achieve their legitimate goal of living together in their own state.
“Incidentally, I believe that the most important motivation for the Palestinians to turn away from Hamas is that they have a realistic chance of their own statehood,” said Wadephul. At the same time, Israel must understand that the number of fighters who declare their allegiance to Hamas has hardly decreased after two years of war. Nevertheless, there is now a good starting point for further negotiations and discussions. “But they have to be managed now.”
In Tel Aviv on Monday morning, thousands of people erupted in cheers to celebrate the release of the first seven of 20 remaining living hostages from the hands of Hamas. When the first media reports about the release were published, the people gathered in the so-called Hostage Square expressed their joy, many of them hugging each other.
