The ICRC was informed on Saturday night by the armed wing of Hamas that it had released a fresh group of twenty prisoners. The border between the Palestinian enclave and Egypt is where the hostages were returned to Israel, according to confirmation from the IDF.
Although acknowledging the exchange, the Israel Defence Forces stated that only “17 abductees were transferred, including 13 Israelis and four abductees with Thai citizenship,” based on their information.
The abductees who have returned to Israel are currently being escorted by an elite IDF unit and a Shin Bet squad. The IDF continued, “Our forces will accompany the returnees until they reach their relatives in the hospitals after receiving a basic examination of their medical condition.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades announced in a statement that the prisoner swap took place “in the context of the humanitarian pause,” as reported by AFP. The exchange had been postponed after Hamas accused Israel of breaking the agreement on the second day of the brief truce.
Following a delay, the release of prisoners was made possible by contacts between the Qatari Foreign Ministry and Egypt. Majed Al Ansari, a spokesman for the ministry, said earlier in the day that 39 Palestinian civilians would be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of eight Israeli children, five women, and seven foreigners.
Twenty-four of the approximately 240 captives that Hamas’ militants had taken since the surprise invasion that started the seven weeks of fighting were freed on Friday, the first day of a four-day ceasefire that has interrupted the heavy bombing of the besieged enclave. Israel released 39 Palestinians in return. Thirteen Israelis, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino were among the captives freed from captivity in Gaza.
For every three Palestinian inmates released from Israeli prisons, Hamas has pledged to release one Israeli hostage under the terms of the ceasefire. On Saturday, the Israeli prison service announced that it was getting ready to free 42 more Palestinian inmates. In exchange, Hamas was anticipated to trade 14 Israelis for a number of foreigners.
Over the course of the four-day truce, Israel is anticipated to turn over about 150 Palestinians, all of whom are women and children, while Hamas is slated to free over fifty Israeli prisoners. Additionally, Israel has stated that for every ten captives that Hamas releases, the cease-fire may be prolonged by one day.
