A total of 24 hostages — 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino — were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza by Hamas, Qatar, which mediated the deal, said
The number of hostages due to be freed under the deal, staggered over the four-day truce, is by far the largest since Hamas gunmen stormed across Gaza’s militarised border on October 7 and carried out the deadliest attack in Israel’s history.
Israel says the attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 240 more taken hostage, among them elderly people and children.
In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing campaign and ground offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which the Hamas government says has killed more than 15,000 people, thousands of them children.
Qatar has said the initial four-day truce is designed to be extended if further hostage and prisoner exchanges can be secured.
