5th Day Truce: More Gaza Hostages, Palestinian Inmates Freed

Another 12 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have returned to Israel via Egypt, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday evening. This occured as the temporary truce in the Gaza war appeared to hold amid reports of an exchange of fire between the two sides. According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latest group of freed hostages comprises 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals. Among the Israeli nationals are senior female citizens – one in her 80s and a 17-year-old teenager, who was released together with her mother. One of the releases hostages also holds German citizenship, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on X, formerly Twitter. This puts the total number of hostages released from Gaza since the beginning of a breakthrough truce agreement between Israel and the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas on Friday at 81, including 61 Israeli nationals. In return for the group released from Gaza on Tuesday, 30 Palestinian prisoners were released from different Israeli jails on Tuesday evening, according to the Israeli prison authority. Among them were 15 women, some of them minors, and 15 male minors, the youngest being 14 years old. In total, 180 Palestinian prisoners have been released from Israeli prisons since the beginning of the temporary ceasefire negotiated by Qatar and Egypt last week. In return, Hamas has released a total of 81 hostages, including 61 Israelis. One male Israeli, who also has Russian citizenship, was released on Monday evening as a gesture of goodwill to Russia, with no Palestinians being released in return. Some 240 people had been abducted into the Gaza Strip amid the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups. The pause in fighting, which came into effect on Friday morning and was initially set to last four days, has been extended by another two days under the previously negotiated conditions. It is unclear whether it can be extended further. The agreement has also facilitated the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. In spite of the ongoing truce, an exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas was reported in the north of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to the Israel army. Israeli soldiers were reportedly shot at and returned fire. In addition, a total of three explosive devices exploded next to soldiers at two locations. This meant that the framework of the ceasefire had been “violated,” the IDF said. According to the army, several soldiers sustained slight injuries. The soldiers were at the locations agreed upon as part of the ceasefire. Hamas confirmed a confrontation with the Israeli army. The group charged that Israel had violated the truce in the north of the Gaza Strip. However, Hamas emphasised that it would continue to feel bound to the agreement as long as Israel also felt committed. Hamas called on mediators Qatar and Egypt to put pressure on Israel to respect the ceasefire. Netanyahu meanwhile reiterated Israel’s commitment to continue its military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas once the truce agreement runs out. In an interview with German broadcaster Welt TV published on Tuesday, the premier did not comment on for how long the deal could be extended. “We agreed that women and children as well as the foreign hostages would be released first,” Netanyahu said in the interview, which was conducted in English and later translated by Welt TV into German. “After that has happened, we will continue the fighting,” he added. Hamas, who took power in Gaza by force in 2007, had committed the worst murders, Netanyahu said, referring to the brutal Oct. 7 attacks committed by Hamas fighters and other groups from Gaza on Israeli border communities in which some 1,200 people were killed. “We have absolutely no choice but to destroy Hamas,” Netanyahu said in view of the massacre. Israel would continue to do everything in its power to spare civilians in the Gaza Strip as much as possible, he said. However, according to Hamas, almost 15,000 people have already been killed and around 36,000 injured amid Israel’s military campaign in Gaza triggered by the Oct. 7 attacks. A further 7,000 inhabitants of the densely populated coastal area are considered missing. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.

Tinubu’s Intervention Can’t Solve Ondo Crisis – PDP

Amidst the ongoing efforts to resolve the protracted political standoff in Ondo State, the Peoples Democratic Party’s state chapter has rebuffed the involvement of President Bola Tinubu, asserting that his intervention falls short in resolving the crisis. President Tinubu had convened a late-night meeting with the leadership of the State House of Assembly and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, aiming to address the contentious situation. Kennedy Peretei, the Publicity Secretary of the opposition party, labeled the meeting as a superficial attempt, emphasizing that the absence of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu poses a significant obstacle to any genuine resolution. Peretei expressed skepticism, drawing parallels to previous reconciliation endeavors that yielded no tangible results, citing the example of the Bello Masari Reconciliation Committee set up by APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, which culminated in parties returning to court despite assurances of case withdrawal. “While the impeachment of the Deputy Governor might be halted out of deference for the presidential intervention, the crisis remains unresolved as long as Akeredolu evades return,” stated Peretei.  “The ongoing political deadlock is far from over, resembling a cat-and-mouse race until substantial steps are taken.”

Israel Releases Another 42 Palestinian Women, Children From Prison

More Trucks With Fuel, Aid Head To Gaza Another 42 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are to be released on Saturday as part of the agreement between the Israeli government and the Islamist Hamas movement, according to the Times of Israel newspaper. Israel will initially transfer the detainees to Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank for medical examinations by International Red Cross staff, according to the newspaper, which cited Israeli prison officials. Al Jazeera reported that the prisoners to be released include 18 women and 24 teenage boys. As a condition of the agreement, Hamas militants must first release Israeli hostages being held in Gaza before the Palestinian prisoners are released from Israeli custody, according to the report. After their release, the Palestinians are to return to the places where they previously lived, for example in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. The first group of Palestinian prisoners consisted of minors and women held in Israeli prisons on offences ranging from stone-throwing to attacks on police officers, including some who were arrested but never faced trial, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.  Meanwhile, more trucks carrying humanitarian supplies moved through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing to the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the second day of a temporary truce agreed to by Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement. Seven fuel trucks, including four loaded with cooking gas, passed through the crossing on Saturday, an Egyptian official said. In addition, 100 trucks carrying food and medical aid bound for Gaza also crossed through Rafah, Dr Raed Abdel-Nasser, the head of the Red Crescent in Egypt’s northern Sinai, told dpa. The Palestinian Red Crescent, meanwhile, said its teams received 196 trucks of relief supplies via Rafah on Friday from its Egyptian counterpart. The truce agreement, which was brokered and announced by Qatar on Wednesday, involves a four-day pause in fighting between both sides. The pause will allow desperately needed aid to flow into the densely populated Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of some hostages Hamas kidnapped during bloody Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Israel also agreed to release a number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons as part of the deal.

Troops Neutralise Terrorists In Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo Operations

Troops of “Operation UDO KA II” in the South East conducted a clearance operation on terrorists’ hideout in Orsumoghu Forest in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra. Lt.-Col. Jonah Unuakhalu, acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division, who stated this at the weekend in Enugu, said the troops neutralised two terrorists. He added that the clearance operation centred on suspected hideouts of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN). Unuakhalu stated that the terrorist group deployed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to slow down the troops, but the latter were undaunted. “The troops were able to dislodge the group; neutralised two of them, while others escaped with gunshot wounds. “Items recovered from the camps included a pair of military boots, one military belt, five mobile phones, one binoculars, leather hand gloves and police head warmer. “Others were one locally-made handheld IED and four locally-made IED launchers (Ogbunigwe),” he stated. Unuakhalu added that troops of Sector 2 of the “Operation UDO KA II’’ arrested a suspected gunrunner on Thursday while on a search-and-rescue mission at Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi. He stated that the suspected gunrunner, one Francis Nwekire, 63, was arrested in his house with 48 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition. “Additionally, a suspected Effium Militia in Ebonyi was arrested and he led troops to their hideout. “Items recovered from the hideout were one AK 47 rifle, 20 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition and one AK 47 magazine. “Both suspects are presently in troops’ custody for further interrogation,’’ he stated. Unuakhalu also stated that troops of Naval Base, Oguta, under “Operation UDO KA II’’ began “Operation IRON TETE’’ on Friday to flush out IPOB/ESN elements from Agwa community in Imo. He added that during the operation, an identified member of the group, a known local gun fabricator nicknamed “Packing Store’’ was neutralised. He stated that items recovered during the operation were one pump-action rifle, one locally-made pistol and a head warmer with IPOB inscription. “Operation UDO KA II calls on law-abiding citizens of the Southeast not to relent in providing timely, credible and reliable information that will assist in ending this menace in the region. “Operation UDO KA II will continue combating crime and criminality in accordance with extant rules and regulations guiding its operations,’’ Unuakhalu stressed. 

Police Initiate Inquiry Into Political Clashes, Violence In Kogi

The Kogi Police Command on Sunday launched investigation into alleged reports of political clashes and violence in Kogi as the Governorship election draws closer. The Police action was sequel to a report of alleged attack on the SDP Campaign train at Koton-Karfe where some persons were said to have been injured in the process through political violence. The Kogi Commissioner of Police, Onuoha Bethrand, in a statement issued in Lokoja by the Command’s Spokesman, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, said that the police would not tolerate any act of lawlessness in the state. The worried commissioner directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to commence a thorough, diligent and wholistic investigation of all acts of political violence, accusations and counter-accusations on all the political parties and actors with a view to bringing all offenders to book. Bethrand condemned some politicians whose stock-in-trade is violence and who have taken it upon themselves to cause mayhem and heat up the state through their unguarded utterances and unregulated activities. “I hereby sternly warn all the Political Parties in the state and their supporters to play by the Rules and stop heating up the state or face severe sanctions. “You should all desist from all forms of violence as anyone caught disrupting the prevailing peaceful environment in the state will be made to face the full wrath of the Law. “Moreso that the Governorship election is fast approaching, we are appealing to all political actors to give peace a chance by conducting themselves in peaceful manner and shunning all acts capable of truncating the peace, tranquility and unity of Kogi. “Therefore, for the last time, I wish to warn would-be trouble-makers to have a change of heart and desist from acts of intolerance as the Police is ever determined to deal decisively with anyone who will not give peace a chance in the state,” he warned. The police boss also assured of the Command’s unwavering commitment to the protection of all lives and property in the state before, during and after the Nov. 11 governorship election. He, however, attributed some the crises or violence to the failure of most of the political actors to honour invitations and partake in series of stakeholders’ parleys/interactions, where issues bordering on security and the need to conduct political activities as enshrined in the Electoral Act are discussed. “Again, not all the Chairmen and Candidates of the other Political Parties honour Police Invitations to discuss petitions and/or allegations with the Police, and other salient issues germane to peaceful campaigns, and that of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. “For the record, several invitations extended to the SDP and ADC Candidates for interaction and consultation with the Police to shed light, provide explanations and give their own side of the story on Petitions written against them, but to no avail. “While these other parties have been carrying the police along in their activities, the SDP candidate has consistently and vehemently refused to honour any of police invitations for investigation, or inform the me nor the command while embarking on political rallies to enable the police provide adequate security coverage. “His (SDP Candidate’s) refusal to deal with the police is undermining peace in the State, has been impeding efforts to streamline and regulate political activities. “It has in turn, greatly contributed to the pockets of political violence being witnessed in the State presently. His riding roughshod and engaging in political brinkmanship and brigandage is an illwind that blows no one any good,” he noted. The police commissioner, however, expressed his sympathy to victims of last Friday’s Koton Karfe political violence that left some people wounded. 

Nigeria can deradicalise Niger within 24 hours – Expert Asserts

Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, a renowned security management specialist, has expressed his astonishment and disappointment over the reactions of certain Nigerians towards the planned restoration of civil rule in Niger Republic, orchestrated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the guidance of President Bola Tinubu. Agbomhere, who holds accreditation as an expert in security management and strategic operations from the International Institute of Professional Security, firmly believes that Nigeria, with President Bola Tinubu as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Nuhu Ribadu as the National Security Adviser, possess the capability to swiftly deradicalize Niger Republic within a mere 24 hours and reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum into power. Issuing a statement in Abuja, Agbomhere remarked that the apprehensions voiced by certain Nigerians, which stem from concerns about the armed forces’ readiness to swiftly neutralize the military junta, reflect a lack of patriotism within the nation. He attributes this sentiment to previous administrations’ initial struggles in managing insurgent and bandit activities that have plagued parts of the country. Agbomhere, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators and a strong proponent of the Rule of Law, advocates for dialogue as the primary approach to resolving Niger’s political deadlock. However, as a final resort, he asserts that Nigeria should not shy away from its responsibility of upholding democratic governance in the West African sub-region, even if it entails military intervention. Nigeria has historically fulfilled this role in Liberia, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire, contributing to the defense of democracy and regional stability. Agbomhere further underscored President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to rejuvenating Nigeria and called for encouragement and support to enable the nation to regain its rightful position as the Giant of Africa.