Ramallah: Israel released 90 Palestinian detainees from Ofer Military Prison in the occupied West Bank as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas. Palestinians gathered in the town of Beitunia, near Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank to welcome them. Israeli soldiers intervened by firing tear gas and sound bombs intermittently at the crowd, who were using fire to stay warm due to the cold. As the time neared 1 a.m., a large number of Israeli military jeeps and bulldozers raided Beitunia.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross under the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement. The three captives were handed over by Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, at Saraya Square in central Gaza City. The Israeli army confirmed that it was notified by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that the three captives – Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher – had been handed over.
The c
easefire deal, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, faced challenges as reports emerged of at least eight Palestinians killed and more than 25 injured in Israeli attacks in different areas of the Gaza Strip despite the agreement set to take effect. The international community, including Spain and Britain, expressed support for the ceasefire and called for its full implementation. Pope Francis also urged all parties to adhere to the agreement and expressed gratitude to the mediators during his weekly address.
Meanwhile, TikTok began restoring its service in the US after assurances from President-elect Donald Trump. The app had gone “dark” earlier, but following Trump’s promise to take executive action, TikTok announced it was in the process of restoring services. The company thanked Trump for providing clarity and assurance to its service providers, allowing the app to continue serving over 170 million Americans and supporting over 7 million small businesses.
In other developments, the Palestine Monetary Au
thority directed banks to resume services in the Gaza Strip as the ceasefire took effect. The authority’s governor, Yahya Al-Shunnar, met with bank representatives to discuss measures required to resume banking services for the people in Gaza.
Additionally, Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) expressed readiness to invest in Libya’s energy sector, aiming to capitalize on the country’s untapped resources. TPAO’s General Manager Ahmet Turkoglu emphasized the potential in Libya, noting the country’s goal to boost oil production to 2 million barrels per day as part of its global expansion strategy.