Spain to Evacuate Citizens from Lebanon, Defense Minister Says

 A civil defense worker extinguishes a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP)
A civil defense worker extinguishes a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP)
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Spain to Evacuate Citizens from Lebanon, Defense Minister Says

 A civil defense worker extinguishes a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP)
A civil defense worker extinguishes a fire at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP)

Spain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday.

"The Spanish airplanes are ready, the staff are ready, as always with the professionalism of the Spanish army," she said in an interview with Antena 3 TV station.

A group of 350 Spanish citizens present in Lebanon have asked to go to Spain, Robles said in the interview.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares had said earlier this week around 1,000 Spaniards were in Lebanon.

Israel was hit on Tuesday evening by rockets launched from Iran following a ground incursion of the Israeli armed forces into south Lebanon where they clashed with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

The operation followed intense air strikes that have devastated Hezbollah's leadership, including longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in Beirut last week.

Beside the 1,000 Spanish residents in Lebanon, Spain has commanded the United Nations' Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and deployed 650 troops along the southern Lebanese border with Israel, since 2022.



Hamas Hands Over Four Hostage Bodies to Red Cross as Palestinians Leave Israeli Prison

Among those leaving Israel early Thursday were 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman who were all arrested after the Hamas attack - AFP
Among those leaving Israel early Thursday were 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman who were all arrested after the Hamas attack - AFP
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Hamas Hands Over Four Hostage Bodies to Red Cross as Palestinians Leave Israeli Prison

Among those leaving Israel early Thursday were 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman who were all arrested after the Hamas attack - AFP
Among those leaving Israel early Thursday were 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman who were all arrested after the Hamas attack - AFP

An Israeli security official told AFP on Thursday that Hamas had handed over four bodies to the Red Cross, while a senior leader from the Palestinian movement said the bodies belonged to Israeli hostages.

"Four bodies transferred to the Red Cross from Hamas," the official said.

"The four bodies were handed over a short while ago and we are waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners," the Hamas official said, referring to the remains of the hostages.

According to Reuters, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left Israel’s Ofer prison. Crowds of cheering families, friends and supporters of Palestinian prisoners were gathered in Beitunia jostling for a glimpse of the bus that was on its way.
Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. The militant group has called the delay a “serious violation” of the ceasefire and said talks on a second phase aren’t possible until the Palestinians are freed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had said Wednesday that the release of the bodies would be carried out without a ceremony, as opposed to past Hamas releases with stage-managed events in front of crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and UN officials, have called the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages.
Among those leaving Israel early Thursday were hundreds of detainees arrested from Gaza, held on suspicion of militancy after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, without charge for months. They include 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman who were all arrested after the Hamas attack, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials that did not specify their ages.
Only around 50 Palestinians were being released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round. Dozens sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis will be exiled out of the Palestinian territories, taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accept them.
The handover will complete both sides’ obligations under the ceasefire’s first phase, during which Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.