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Gaza. Hamas on Friday released a group of people held hostage in Gaza for weeks, including 13 Israelis. This is the first phase of the exchange of Palestinian prisoners with Israel under the four-day ceasefire agreement. The agreement brought the first relief to Gaza’s (Gaza) beleaguered residents and opened the way for the delivery of much-needed aid. It was also a moment of hope for families in Israel and elsewhere who were worried about loved ones captured during the October 7 Hamas attack.
Thai Prime Minister Shretha Thavisin said that 12 Thai citizens abducted during the attack have also been freed. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed the release of 24 hostages. “Those freed include 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom hold dual citizenship, as well as 10 Thai citizens and one Philippine citizen,” said ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari. Qatar is a key broker in the release of the hostages. Was.
There has been no news of fighting from anywhere in the hours after the ceasefire started. This ceasefire will provide relief to 23 lakh people of Gaza who have been suffering from Israeli bombardment and lack of supplies of basic needs for the last few weeks. Thousands of people have lost their lives in Israeli strikes, while buildings in the area have suffered extensive damage. A large population of Palestine was forced to leave their homes due to the attacks.
Palestinian officials said that in the first swap Friday afternoon, 39 Palestinian prisoners – 24 women, including some convicted of attempted murder for attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers jailed for crimes such as stone-throwing – were exchanged for 13 Israeli hostages. Will be released.
The first hostages were freed. Israeli media reports, citing security officials, said that Hamas had handed over a group of 13 Israelis to the Red Cross for transportation to Egypt. The plight of some 240 people taken captive during the Hamas attack is troubling Israel, with some families growing angry that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is not doing enough to bring them home.
A total of 50 hostages will be released during the four-day ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. It is not clear whether this figure includes hostages in Thailand. Under the agreement, Israel will release 150 Palestinians in the next four days. 39 prisoners are to be released on Friday.
Before Friday evening’s release, thousands of Israelis gathered at a place called ‘Hostage Square’ in Tel Aviv, and sang songs to welcome the released hostages. After the ceasefire began on Friday morning, the stalled delivery of aid promised under the agreement began. Israel said that 200 trucks of relief material arrived from Egypt along with four trucks of fuel and four trucks of cooking gas.
The Prime Minister of Thailand confirmed the release of 12 citizens of the country by tweeting. Footage from Egypt’s Rafah crossing shows a queue of ambulances leaving Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that it had handed over a total of 24 hostages to the Egyptians, but declined to provide details on their nationality or explain the discrepancy in the numbers.
