GAZA: Hamas and Israel on Friday said that both the parties had released hostages with 24 released by the former while Israel also reciprocated the gesture.
A total of 24 hostages — 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino — were handed to the Red Cross in Gaza by Hamas, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said, AFP reports.
“Those released include 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom are dual citizens, in addition to 10 Thai citizens and a Filipino citizen,” Majed Al Ansari said.
He said that 39 women and children detained in Israeli jails had also been freed under a deal to exchange hostages seized by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners.
An army of Israeli medics, child protection experts and trauma specialists were bracing to receive 13 women and children released from Gaza after weeks of Hamas captivity, AFP reports.
While their identities were not immediately made public, millions of Israelis eagerly awaited news of their return on the first day of a four-day truce and hostage swap.
Authorities were also gearing up for the complex task of helping those released to come to terms with a nearly seven-week hostage ordeal that may have left them deeply traumatised.
“Some don’t know that their significant others — their families, husbands, parents, siblings — have been murdered,” top child protection expert Sarit Sarfatti told reporters ahead of the release.
“Some don’t know that their entire community has been almost entirely annihilated. We will have to break the news to them very soon. This is something that cannot be delayed because we don’t want them to find out through rumours.”
The Israeli army has said the first hostages released from the Gaza Strip were back on Israeli territory where they would undergo medical checks before being reunited with their families, AFP reports.
“The released hostages underwent an initial medical assessment inside Israeli territory,” the military said in a statement, adding they would be accompanied by “soldiers as they make their way to Israeli hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families”.
PHOTOS: Relatives, friends await return of Palestinian prisoners
Qatar says 39 women, children released from Israeli jails under truce
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman has said a total of 39 women and children detained in Israeli jails have been released as part of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, Reuters reports.
Security source says 13 Israeli hostages handed to Israel
An Israeli security source has said that 13 Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip had been handed over into Israeli custody.
The source told AFP: “The 13 Israeli hostages are now with the Israeli security services” after they were released on the first day of a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip.
ICRC confirms release of 24 hostages from Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed the release of 24 hostages from Gaza, adding that they have been moved to Egypt’s Rafah border.
Red Cross teams begin multi-day operation to facilitate transfer of hostages
The delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Israel has said that their team has begun carrying out a multi-day operation to facilitate the release and transfer of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian detainees to the West Bank.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the ICRC said: “This will include the delivery of additional, much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”
