Good morning. On Friday night, a line of white 4x4s carrying the Red Cross flag drove through the Rafah crossing out of Gaza, with 13 hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October inside. As the convoy arrived in Egypt, 39 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons were being prepared for release in Ramallah. By this morning, and despite a period of uncertainty on Saturday when it appeared that the deal might collapse, AFP reported that 63 hostages and 117 Palestinian prisoners had been freed so far – and the suspension of hostilities in Gaza had held.
Today is the last day of the scheduled “pause” in Israeli operations, and after days of scepticism about whether it might be extended, hopes of progress grew last night after Hamas signalled it would be open to a continuation, and Benjamin Netanyahu said he would welcome further releases. Today’s newsletter takes you through how the ceasefire unfolded, and explains what might happen next. Here are the headlines.
Five big stories
NHS | Almost 8,000 people were harmed and 112 died last year as a direct result of long waits for an ambulance or surgery, prompting warnings that NHS care delays are “a disaster”. The fatalities included a man who died of a cardiac arrest after waiting 18 minutes for his 999 call to be answered by the ambulance service.
Protest | Up to 60,000 people attended a march against antisemitism in London on Sunday, hearing chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis decry “the poisonous spread of antisemitism” since Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October. Far-right leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, more commonly known as Tommy Robinson, was arrested after attending despite calls from organisers for him to stay away.
Education | The family of the headteacher Ruth Perry, whose death after a critical Ofsted inspection will be the subject of a high-profile inquest this week, have been refused legal aid to fund their representation. Perry’s family say that they have turned to crowdfunding to cover their costs.
India | The fate of 41 Indian workers trapped in a collapsed mountain tunnel hung in the balance on Monday as rescuers began a “risky” attempt to drill vertically down to try to pull them out. The labourers have been trapped in the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand for more than two weeks.
Books | The Irish author Paul Lynch has won the 2023 Booker prize for his fifth novel Prophet Song, set in an imagined Ireland that is descending into tyranny. It was described as a “soul-shattering and true” novel that “captures the social and political anxieties of our current moment” by the judging chair, Esi Edugyan. Justine Jordan writes that the winner is “a novel explicitly plugged into global strife and political tectonic forces”.
In depth: ‘This is the saddest joy and the happiest sadness’
The deal announced on Wednesday last week promised the release of 50 of the approximately 240 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. It has produced extraordinary images of family reunions, a respite for Palestinians from Israeli air strikes, and the delivery of a portion of the aid that is desperately needed in Gaza.
The deal almost collapsed on Saturday, when Hamas claimed that Israel was stopping the delivery of aid to the north of Gaza, but ultimately held with the second exchange going ahead but delayed for several hours. Now the question is whether a possible extension – which would see an additional day of “pause” for every ten hostages released – will be taken up when the arrangement expires tomorrow morning.
***
Israeli hostages | Children reunited with families among 63 freed so far
Among the most powerful stories of those released was that of nine-year-old Emily Hand, an Irish-Israeli girl who was initially thought to have been killed in the 7 October Hamas massacre only to be named among the hostages. Her father, Tom, said at a press conference in London recently: “She must be saying every day: ‘Where is my daddy – why isn’t he coming to save me?’”
On Saturday, she ran into his arms. Footage of their reunion (main image) at an Israeli hospital – and, a moment later, 13-year-old Hila Rotem Shoshani being embraced by her uncle – was among a host of extraordinary videos celebrated by an Israeli public that has been desperate for news of released hostages since the October attack took place.
The terms of the deal saw Hamas release women, children, and the elderly – but no adult Israeli men or military personnel have been included except one Russian-Israeli after direct talks between Moscow and Hamas. Fourteen Thai seasonal workers and one Filipino were also freed, as well as the first American, four-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack. While 50 were expected to be released, so far the total is 63 once foreign nationals are factored in. There are still thought to be a dozen children held in Gaza.
Most of the freed hostages have not spoken to the media directly, but one of those released, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, described “a hell that we never knew before” and being taken through a “spider web” of tunnels before being treated well by guards. Family members of others have described conditions of total isolation. Two teenagers, Noam and Alma Or, only learned after their release that their mother had been killed and their father is missing, their uncle told the Guardian. There are more details about some of the first hostages to be released from Gaza here; Emine Sinmaz and Emma Graham-Harrison heard from some of their families in Israel, and in Thailand, Rebecca Ratcliffe and Navaon Siradapuvadol spoke to Rungarun Wichangern, whose brother Vetoon Phoome was also among those freed.
Some of those celebrating the release of loved ones can only allow themselves a qualified kind of relief because other relatives are still being held. Hila Rotem Shoshani’s mother, Raya, is one of those still in captivity this morning. Adi Shoham was freed along with her son and daughter, but her husband and two other relatives are still somewhere in Gaza. “This is the saddest joy and the happiest sadness,” said Shoham’s cousin Inbal Tzach, “but our family is home.”
***
Palestinian prisoners | Chaotic scenes, joyful reunions, and a ban on celebrations
Palestinian families waiting for the release of their loved ones gathered outside Ofer prison, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Friday night; there were chaotic scenes as crowds were dispersed with tear gas by Israeli forces, and on Saturday, only one person was permitted to pick up each released detainee. Far-right interior minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that Palestinians were banned from celebrating their release, because “Expressions of joy are equivalent to backing terrorism”.
All of the 117 released so far were women and children (some of whom turned 18 in Israeli custody). While some had been convicted of stabbings or making explosives, others were held on much more minor charges, like stone throwing or damaging property. CNN reported that 10 children and 23 women who were released by Saturday had been detained under the administrative detention system in place in the West Bank that allows imprisonment without charge or trial for six months at a time, with no overall limit.
Bethan McKernan spent Saturday with the Awad family as they awaited the release of Noorhan Awad, 24, who was jailed eight years ago for stabbing an Israeli man with scissors; she initially denied the charges but, like many Palestinians facing a legal system with a 98% conviction rate, ultimately pleaded guilty. “So much has changed since Noorhan was home last,” said Noorhan’s mother, Sumaya, 43. “We are so excited. I don’t want to hope too much.”
There were videos of joyful reunions among Palestinian families, too, including one of Noorhan Awad. Perhaps the best-known case was that of Israa Jaabis, who was convicted of detonating a gas cylinder in her car at a checkpoint in 2015, an incident that left her with severe burns and which she claimed was accidental. With Israeli forces surrounding the family home in East Jerusalem, she was reunited with her teenage son (pictured above), whom she last saw when he was seven, and told reporters: “I am shy to hug him, because he became a man, but when he calls me ‘my mum’ I remember again that he’ll always be a small child in my eyes.”
***
What happens next | Hopes of an extension grow
While more aid has been coming into Gaza during the ceasefire and civilians have had some relief from daily air strikes, UN officials say that the deliveries have been nothing like the quantity needed after seven weeks of war. Hamas has also complained that Israel has not respected the terms of the deal.
Israel has offered day-long extensions of the “pause” for each additional tranche of 10 hostages released after the initial arrangement ends tomorrow morning. Egyptian officials have spoken of “positive signals” about that happening, while Joe Biden said that “the chances are real”. And the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to go further has been raised by a protest of thousands of Israelis in front of Tel Aviv’s military headquarters on Saturday.
But the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has called the ceasefire “a short respite, at the end of which the fighting will continue intensely” and predicted another two months of fighting.
On Friday, Patrick Wintour wrote that both sides have powerful reasons to reject an extension. But with Hamas signalling its openness to further releases and Benjamin Netanyahu responding positively, hopes that the pause might continue are higher this morning.
Central to that prospect is whether Hamas is able to locate some of the dozens of hostages said to be held by other groups in Gaza, the Qatari prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman told the Financial Times. “If they get additional women and children, there will be an extension,” he said. “We don’t yet have any clear information how many they can find.” Even if that happens, the fighting is likely to resume in 2-4 days time.
What else we’ve been reading
Eight writers, ranged in age from their 20s to their 90s, unpack what being single means to them and why, in their lives, it’s not necessarily part of the journey to coupledom but the destination itself. Nimo
Jess Cartner-Morley’s conversation with the fashion designer Diane Von Fürstenberg – “almost uninterviewable, but fabulously entertaining to listen to” – is an enjoyable tour of a life that began as the miracle baby of a Holocaust survivor, stopped by at Oxford boarding school and Andy Warhol’s Studio 54, and involved marriages to a Swiss prince and a billionaire. “I have had a big life,” she says. “A folkloric life. A great adventure.” Archie
I really enjoyed Patrick Barkham’s interview with Pulitzer prize winner Ed Yong on his research about the hidden worlds that animals inhabit – and how that has impacted how he has raised his own pet corgi, Typo. Nimo
The colder months are here, with longer nights and grey skies to boot. Emma Beddington takes a look at why, especially at this time of the year, we become obsessed with being cosy (illustrated above). Nimo
After 13 years of relentless cuts under the Conservatives, Charlotte Higgins makes a compelling case for the urgency of Labour’s task in restoring arts funding if it wins the next election. Comparatively small sums will make a big difference, she argues – “but it must be done in the full, confident sense that doing so is not an optional, frivolous add-on”. Archie
Sport
Football | Tributes have been paid to Terry Venables, the hugely charismatic and colourful manager who guided England to the verge of European Championship glory in 1996, who has died aged 80. Read Jonathan Liew’s tribute: “For any England fan alive and sentient in 1996, he was the man who orchestrated the second great summer of love”.
Formula One | World champion Max Verstappen closed out the F1 season by claiming victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Dutch driver finished with a record 19 wins from 22 races.
Football | Manchester United beat Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park, inspired by Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning overhead kick. Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins delivered Aston Villa’s winning goal against Tottenham Spurs, bringing the final score to 2-1. It was Spurs’ third consecutive defeat.
The front pages
The late Terry Venables smiles from the front page of the Guardian this Monday morning, while the lead story is “Hopes Israel and Hamas truce can hold as third exchange takes place”. The Daily Mirror gives El Tel the full front page and the accolade “The great showman”, while the Sun has “One Tel Of A Fella” and the Metro says “FarewEL TEL”. “Millions face higher taxes until election” – that’s the i, which also runs a picture of the march against antisemitism in London. The Daily Mail has that as its lead: “No war cries, no angry chants, just solidarity with UK’s fearful Jews”. “Orphaned hostage, 4, is set free” is the lead story in the Times. “Hamas must find dozens of hostages if truce is to be extended, says Qatar” anchors page one in the Financial Times. The Daily Telegraph adds to pressure on the PM: “Sunak’s deal with Braverman on migrants revealed”. “Harry must hits out at cruel attacks on royals”, the Daily Express demands, in regard to claims made in a book.
Today in Focus
The spy-tech firm managing NHS data
Palantir, the US spy-tech firm co-founded by the billionaire Peter Thiel, has won a contract to handle NHS data. It’s a deal that has left privacy advocates such as Cori Crider with serious questions
Cartoon of the day | Edith Pritchett
Sign up for Inside Saturday to see more of Edith Pritchett’s cartoons, the best Saturday magazine content and an exclusive look behind the scenes
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
When Paul Barton was a child, he fell so in love with piano that he would walk two miles to a local church to play. Barton went on to study at the Royal Academy of Arts and never looked back.
He now shares his love for the piano with the most unique audience: rescued elephants in Thailand. Despite being naturally apprehensive about how the animals would react, he has been a big hit with the elephants – and on YouTube, where he has racked up 700,000 subscribers.
Recalling one of the first times he played for the pachyderms, Barton said: “One elephant, who was blind, stopped eating and listened. We realised that this elephant, trapped in a world of darkness, loved music. From that day, there was never any concern about disturbing their peace.”
Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday
Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
