The Israeli military, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, additional ministries and security authorities, completed final preparations on Saturday to launch the first of the hostages are released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Preparations included homely conditions in trailers where the hostages could sleep before going to hospitals for check-ups and all the comforts of home, including baskets of toiletries and a change of clothing.
In the trailers, the hostages have benches and potted plants as decoration. Outside, they can sit on patio furniture accented with colorful oversized pillows.
The reception locations also have the necessary medical facilities.
The reception locations for the hostages were decorated in such a way that they felt like home. (IDF)
From there, the hostages will be taken to hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families.
The IDF said it will require “patience and sensitivity” from the public if the hostages return.
“We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the hostages and their families,” the IDF said. “The public is requested to refer only to official updates and announcements and refrain from sharing unverified information.”
ISRAEL-HAMAS ceasefire, hostage release deal reached: ‘Americans will be part of that’
An IDF soldier prepares at a site where hostages are expected to arrive on Sunday. (IDF)
The hostages have been held by Hamas for nearly 500 days since Hamas’s unprovoked attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Three hostages are expected to be released first on Sunday after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.
IDF personnel are making preparations at the various locations and hospitals where the hostages will arrive. (IDF)
The first hostages to be released are expected to be women.
A total of 33 hostages will be released, including two Americans. More than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be returned by the Israelis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel will not move forward with the main features of the deal until it receives a list of the hostages to be released. This was agreed after the names did not arrive from Qatar as expected on Saturday.
“Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement,” he said. “The sole responsibility lies with Hamas.
“In war we make it clear to our enemies – we make it clear to the whole world – that when the people of Israel stand together, there is no force that can break us.
Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages. (IDF)
“So far, we have brought home 157 of our abductees, of which 117 are still alive. Under the agreement now approved, we will bring home another 33 of our brothers and sisters, most of whom are alive.”
He also credited both President Biden and President-elect Trump helping to reach a ceasefire agreement.
“As soon as he was elected, President Trump joined the mission to free the hostages,” Netanyahu said. “He spoke to me on Wednesday evening. He welcomed the agreement and rightly emphasized that the first step of the agreement is a temporary ceasefire. That’s what he said: ‘temporary ceasefire’.”
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Netanyahu said Biden and Trump “fully supported Israel’s right to return to fighting if Israel concludes that Phase B negotiations are futile.”
Netanyahu too said he appreciated Trump’s decision to “lift all remaining restrictions on the supply of essential weapons and armaments to the State of Israel.”
