After 48 days in captivity in Gaza, Hamas has released the first group of prisoners. This is part of the cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas this morning.
After an agonizing wait, thirteen Israeli women and children and twelve Thai prisoners were finally released today.
It will be recalled that during the terror group’s October 7 strike on Israel, they kidnapped and took them into Gaza.
According to Israeli media, Hamas handed up the hostages to the Red Cross. They were on their way to the Gaza-Egypt border crossing at Rafah.
On the other side of the fence were 39 Palestinian inmates, including 24 women and 15 teenagers. Israel is releasing them as part of the agreement that has brought the violence in Gaza to a halt for the first time in seven weeks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will coordinate the release. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) originally received the hostages from Gaza to provide medical assistance.
The lists of all civilians who would be freed from Gaza, on the other hand, had been decided upon but had not been made public before. 30 children are thought to be among the 240 prisoners brought into Gaza by Hamas.
The four-day cease-fire began at 7 a.m. local time (12 a.m. ET and 5 a.m. GMT). For the first time in over seven weeks, guns were put down across the region.
Meanwhile, at least 50 captives are anticipated to be released during the four-day ceasefire. An estimated 190 would be left in the hands of Palestinian extremists.
In exchange, 150 Palestinian detainees will be released.
