Reuters photo.
Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday that he is “committed to this peace” in a speech to parliament, the Associated Press reported.
He added: “Today, the Jewish calendar marks the end of two years of war.”
The ceasefire started on Friday and included the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for hostages. The later stages of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire are still being worked out, however.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that Hamas no longer holds any living Israeli hostages. IDF confirmed that the remaining 13 captives had been handed over to Israeli forces and were on their way home after more than two years in captivity.
This was the second batch of hostages freed on Monday. Earlier in the day, seven Israeli men, Gali and Ziv Berman, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, and Guy Gilboa-Dallal, were released after spending 738 days in Hamas custody.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the transfer of the hostages to the IDF inside the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X, the IDF said: “Returning to Their Borders. Seven returning hostages have now met IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Gaza Strip, and they are on their way to Israeli territory.”
However, despite the imposed ceasefire, conflict continued as Hamas security forces clashed with an Israel-backed armed group, the Dughmush clan. The conflict killed at least 27 people, thus becoming the most violent internal confrontation since the end of Israeli military operations, BBC News reported.
According to a witness, Hamas men exchanged fire with the other team near Gaza’s Jordanian hospital. Out of the dead, eight were Hamas members, while 19 Dughmush fighters. The battle also killed a journalist, Saleh Aljafarawi.