Red Cross Confirms Release of 19 Palestinian Detainees

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced today, Sunday, that it has completed the release of 19 Palestinians from Israeli detention centers. The committee confirmed that it "successfully facilitated the release of 17 detainees and their transfer from the Gaza Strip." The Palestinian agency "Safa" reported that "in a show of force in downtown Gaza City, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, handed over 13 Israeli prisoners, 3 Thai detainees, and 1 Russian detainee to the Red Cross on Sunday evening, in exchange for Israel releasing 39 Palestinian child detainees as part of the third phase of the prisoner exchange." It was noted that "unlike the first two batches in which detainees were handed over in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades appeared in Palestine Square in the center of Gaza City in a show of strength that accompanied the delivery of the third batch of released detainees under the existing truce agreement in Gaza. The handover took place in the heart of Gaza City without prior announcement, with public attendance, and was completed smoothly. The appearance of Al-Qassam fighters was unexpected, as they conducted a display of strength during the handover."