This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
70 released Hamas prisoners stranded in Cairo hotel as 'no country wants them'
Seventy members of Hamas released from Israeli prisons as part of the hostage agreement are currently stranded in a hotel in Cairo, with the countries that had committed to hosting them not yet formally agreeing to do so.
"To date, no Arab country has agreed to receive even a single released and expelled Palestinian prisoner," a source from the Palestinian Prisoner Authority said.
According to the Algemeiner, the ex-prisoners, who are not allowed to leave their hotel, describe their situation as moving "from an Israeli prison to an Egyptian prison." The source reports they had to stay for a long time with their prison clothes and sandals, adding "the Egyptians do not treat them warmly."
In addition to those stuck in Egypt, 23 other prisoners who were supposed to be deported abroad are trapped in the Gaza Strip. Among the countries mentioned as potential destinations are Algeria, Turkey, Tunisia, and Qatar.
In a joint statement, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced they would agree to host a portion of the released prisoners, without specifying their number. Al-Thani emphasized hosting the Palestinian prisoners "must be based on their own decision," while Fidan simply stated: "We have agreed to accommodate a certain number of Palestinian prisoners expelled abroad."
Hamas terrorists forced U.S.-Israeli hostage to write thank you letter to captors
In a letter distributed online by Hamas, Keith Siegel – who was released Saturday from captivity in Gaza – allegedly thanked the terrorists who held him for 484 days. "I was treated well by them," he allegedly wrote.
But a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum clarified "the Hamas terrorists who held Keith forced him to write them a detailed letter of thanks. This is one example of many of the cruel and cynical conduct of the Hamas terrorist organization and the urgency of returning all the hostages to Israel," Ynet reported.
According to the letter Siegel was ordered to write: "My guards during this period took care of all my needs, food and drink, medicine, vitamins, eye drops, a blood pressure measuring device and more. They also made sure I got a doctor's checkup when I felt unwell for a long time. The guards considered my needs and responded to my requests regarding nutrition, eating habits and more. They made sure I had food that suited my health needs."
Freed hostage Danielle Gilboa: 'Only thing that saved me was faith'
Daniella Gilboa, who was released last week from Hamas captivity, published her first post on social media after her release in which she thanked the people of Israel and shared details about her time in captivity.
"What a crazy year I had and I don't know where to start. I think that first of all, I'll say thank you to everyone," Gilboa opened.
She thanked "the people who for a year and three months supported my family, who didn't leave or give up or lose hope for a moment. Thank you for waiting for me, thank you for not believing the terrible rumors, thank you for continuing to pray for me for this entire time. It was my last request before I was abducted. I didn't want to give up or say goodbye, so instead I prayed and believed with my whole heart that my end was not there, in that shelter."
She recounted the moments of the abduction: "I prayed for all the girls who were with me for a half hour since I felt I couldn't do anything better other than that at the time. I couldn't hold onto the protection that the army may provide and maybe come to protect me. I couldn't hold onto the protection that the shelter may have provided, since it wasn't rockets. At that moment, couldn't hold onto the few girls who were armed either.
