US President Joe Biden on Friday hailed the “start of a process” after 13 Israeli hostages and 39 Palestinian detainees were released on the first of a four-day truce in Gaza.
Mr Biden said the effort was the result of “extensive diplomacy” and that the US was determined to bring all hostages home.
“Today has been a product a lot of hard work and weeks of personal engagement,” Mr Biden said in remarks from Nantucket, Massachusetts.
“We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow, and more the day after, and more the day after that.”
The four-day truce is a temporary pause in a war that has gone on for seven weeks, during which more than 14,500 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble.
US officials say nine Americans have been held in Gaza since October 7, when Hamas gunmen launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostage.
“It is my hope and expectation” that the American hostages will be released soon, Mr Biden said, adding that their conditions and locations were still unknown.
“We will not stop until we get these hostages brought home and an answer to their whereabouts,” he said.
As part of the deal, 39 Palestinian women and minors held in Israeli prisons were released on Friday, the first of a total of 150 who were due to be freed from detention.
More than a hundred lorries carrying critical medical supplies, food and water entered the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday, the UN said, the biggest convoy since the war started.
Israel blocked the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel to Gaza on October 7, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
“I've consistently pressed for a pause in the fighting for two reasons: to accelerate and expand humanitarian assistance going into Gaza and to facilitate the release of hostages,” Mr Biden said.
Ten Thai citizens and one Filipino were also freed on Friday in a separate agreement, according to Qatar, which has been a critical mediator in the deal.
The Biden administration has so far opposed a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, saying it supports Israel's aim of eradicating Hamas.
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
