what to remember from Wednesday, November 29

On the sixth and final day of the truce, the Israeli army announced late in the evening that a new group of Israeli hostages had been released and handed over to the Red Cross.

The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 54th day on Wednesday, November 29. Last day of a six-day truce, negotiated under the aegis of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, bombings on the Gaza Strip could resume early Thursday morning, if no agreement is found to extend the truce. This truce notably allowed the release of new Israeli hostages and new Palestinian prisoners on Wednesday evening. Here’s what to remember from the day.

Fourteen Israeli hostages released

Fourteen hostages, ten Israelis and four Thais, held since October 7 by Hamas, were released by Hamas in the evening, the Israeli army announced on Telegram, based on information provided by the Red Cross. The fourteen hostages reached Israeli territory, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. Two dual-national Russian and Israeli women, held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, were released earlier today. The ten Israeli hostages were released as part of the humanitarian pause agreement and 30 Palestinians, including 16 minors and 14 women, will be released by Israel in exchange for their release.

UN Secretary-General calls for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

“The people of Gaza are living in the midst of a monumental humanitarian catastrophe, before the eyes of the world. We must not look away,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday. “We think we need a real humanitarian ceasefire”, he demanded again. Negotiations are underway to try to extend the truce by six days which should end Thursday morning.

Israeli settlers in the sights of the international community

France once again condemned the violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and called on Israel “to put an end to it” and to sanction the perpetrators of these abuses. In the West Bank, 490,000 settlers live among three million Palestinians. These colonies are considered by the UN to be illegal under international law.

Continued talks to extend the truce

“Our main goal at this time, and our hope, is to achieve a lasting truce that will lead to further negotiations and, ultimately, an end to the war”, said Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, arrived in Israel during the night from Wednesday to Thursday to try to extend the truce.