A Polish citizen is among the 41 hostages released thus far by Hamas under a ceasefire deal that took effect last Friday.
According to the Polish foreign ministry, the deal comes after continuous international diplomatic efforts, which eventually resulted in a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas as part of a hostage exchange deal that includes additional humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.
Under the existing agreement, 50 hostages from Israel will be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners during the four-day ceasefire. Some 24 hostages, including 13 Israelis and 11 foreign nationals, were released on Friday, with an additional 17 hostages released after a tense delay on Saturday.
The truce provides a temporary halt to the intense hostilities that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas abducted some 240 people as part of a coordinated land, sea, and air assault on Israel. The initial attack reportedly resulted in over 1,200 deaths, including many Israelis and foreign nationals.
In response to the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a series of airstrikes and military maneuvers in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 14,300 Palestinians, including more than 6,000 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Source: Polskie Radio, PAP, Reuters
Early Saturday morning, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv suffered what officials described as Russia’s largest drone attack of the war, with the rumble of air defense and explosions awakening residents at sunrise.
In a post on Telegram, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote that the attack had resulted in injuries to five people, including an 11-year-old girl, and caused damage to buildings across the city. Fragments from a downed drone also reportedly ignited a fire in a children’s nursery.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that over 70 Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones had been launched at Ukraine Saturday morning, with the Ukrainian air force later confirming the downing of 71 Shahed drones and one missile.
Zelensky emphasized the significance of the timing of the attack, occurring on the day when Ukrainians commemorate their worst national tragedy—the 1932-33 Holodomor famine, during which an estimated 3.5 million people died of starvation.
President Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska were joined by the presidents of Latvia and Switzerland, along with the Prime Minister of Lithuania, in Holodomor commemorations held Saturday in Kyiv.
Source: Polskie Radio, PAP
A new ski-jumping World Cup circuit season opened this weekend with individual competitions in Ruka, Finland.
The 2023/2024 ski-jumping World Cup season will feature 38 competitions, including the prestigious Four Hills Tournament and Ski Flying World Championships in Germany and Austria and the Raw Air event in Norway next March.
Polish ski jumpers will also have a chance to compete on home turf starting in January, with competitions in Wisła set for the weekend of January 13-14, an event in Szczyrk on January 17, and competitions in Zakopane January 20-21.
Polish ski jumpers finished fourth last World Cup season as a team, behind Austria, Norway, and Slovenia, with 33-year-old Dawid Kubacki finishing fourth in the individual World Cup standings.
While no one from Team Poland made the top 20 after Saturday’s competition, individual events will continue today, with former Olympic gold medalist Kamil Stoch set to start things off with his first run this afternoon around 15:00 CET.
Source: Polskie Radio, fis-ski.com
Despite the cold, snowy weather, or rather because of it, crowds of residents and visitors were on hand to inaugurate the Christmas Market in Gdansk, which officially opened Saturday afternoon.
This year’s fair, touted as “one of the most beautiful in Europe” by fair organizers, features a custom bugle call selected in competition and composed by Magdalena Garbecka, a graduate of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk.
The fair hosts some 150 stalls offering local and international drinks and delicacies like mulled wine, bigos, and Kashubian, Italian, and Lithuanian cold cuts and cheeses, with the Grand Armory on Tkacka playing host to dozens of vendors selling handicrafts, including clothing, jewelry, decorations, and toys.
In addition to traditional favorites like the photo souvenir sites and Łoś Lucek, the talking moose head, this year’s fair features a new attraction in the form of the “Spinning Barrels” mini roller coaster.
The fair is open daily from noon until 20:00 or 21:00 on weekends from now until 23 December. More information is available on the Christmas Market website at https://bozonarodzeniowy.pl/.
Source: gdansk.pl
Weather
Today will remain partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain showers later in the day and a strong breeze coming in from the northwest. Temperatures will peak around a high of 2°C, or 35°F, dropping to below freezing overnight with a low of -2°C or 29°F. Similar weather is expected on Monday, with a chance for some rain or snow later in the week.
Elizabeth Peck/aKa
