The mainstream media has largely focused on the exchange of prisoners for civilian hostages as the key issue driving the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. But behind the scenes, truck drivers are a significant part of the deal for the warring parties to tap the brakes that paved the way for a 4-year-old American girl’s release from Gaza.
“Abigail (Edan) was among 13 hostages released today from Gaza under the brokered and sustained though intensive U.S. diplomacy. She is now safely in Israel. And we continue to press and expect for additional Americans will be released as well,” Pres. Biden reportedly said. “The proof that this is working and worth pursuing further is in every smile and every grateful tears we see on the faces of those families who are finally getting back together again. The proof is little Abigail. More than 20 other children, 18 years and younger, have been released.”
Reports indicate the 4-year-old hostage witnessed both her parents’ death at the hands of Hamas gunmen. Her 10-year-old and 6-year-old siblings were able to evade Hamas fighters during the attack in Israel that sparked the current conflict.
Behind the scenes, the temporary truce deal is reportedly contingent upon Israel allowing a specific number of trucks to enter Gaza, carrying food, water, and medical supplies, among other relief items. On Saturday, Nov. 25, upwards of 61 truckers took great personal risk to haul these and other items into the northern Gaza war zone.
Trucks were “loaded with food and non-food items, water, primary health care medicines, and emergency medical supplies, from aid that entered through Rafah (Saturday) as well as from Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) warehouses in the south,” according to a PRCS post on X.
Drivers also delivered 129,000 liters of fuel, previously a point of contention between Israel and Hamas. Before the cessation of fighting, the Palestine Red Crescent Society indicated it had only received 187 trucks since October 7. Delays that have been widely reported appear to have roots in the number of truckloads that entered Gaza from Egypt.
“The total number of aid trucks that have reached (Gaza) yesterday and today is 340 aid trucks. Only 65 trucks have reached the northern part of the strip, which is less than half of what was agreed on,” a Hamas spokesman reportedly said.
By Sunday, Nov. 26, upwards of 200 truckers were expected to drive supplies into Gaza, opening the door for prisoners and hostages to be released.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/26/4-year-old-american-hostages-released-hamas-00128622
https://twitter.com/PalestineRCS/status/1728373428573307323?s=20
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