► Release of 90 Palestinian prisoners
Israel announced on the night of Sunday January 19 to Monday January 20 that it had released 90 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first exchange of prisoners provided for by the truce agreement with Hamas after the release by the Islamist movement of three Israeli hostages who were being held in Gaza.
“This evening, 90 terrorists were (…) released” of the Ofer military prison, in the occupied West Bank, and a detention center in Jerusalem, indicates a press release from the Israel Prisons Authority.
Hundreds of people greeted the passage of their bus on a road in Beitunia leading to Ramallah, headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, by waving Palestinian flags and those of various Palestinian political movements, including that of Hamas.
► Restoring the health system in Gaza will be “difficult”
Restoring the health system in the Gaza Strip will be “a complex and difficult task” after more than 15 months of war, warned the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Sunday.
“Meeting the enormous health needs and restoring the health system in Gaza will be a complex and difficult task, given the scale of destruction, operational complexity and constraints involved”wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X.
-► “Hope” after the release of three Israeli hostages
“Seeing the hostages reunited with their families fills our hearts with hope”declared the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen after the release of the first three Israeli hostages, welcoming the ceasefire in Gaza that Europe “will support”.
“Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher are free. Others must follow. May this be the beginning of a new chapter for Israel and the Palestinian people.”she hoped in a message on the social network “The ceasefire must be respected”she demanded.
The next release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza will take place “next Saturday”a senior Hamas official said on condition of anonymity on Sunday evening, without specifying the number of hostages to be released that day, nor the number of Palestinian detainees that Israel should release in exchange.
