Israel and Hamas Continue to Release of Hostages and Prisoners in Gaza Amid Ceasefire
Twelve more hostages being held by Hamas were released Tuesday, the Red Cross and IDF shared on Tuesday in exchange for 30 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. The release comes amid an temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was extended for two more days on Monday.
The group of freed hostages included ten Israelis, and two Thai nationals, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. The group of freed Palestinians included fifteen women and fifteen children, according to Dr. Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, said earlier Monday during a press briefing that Hamas had committed to “releasing another 20 women and children over the next two days.”
Following Tuesday’s hostage release, the total number of hostages released by Hamas now stands at 81 and includes 60 Israelis - all women and children - and 21 foreign nationals. Israel has released 180 Palestinian prisoners since the temporary truce began on Friday.
Under a deal brokered by Qatar and Egypt, Hamas and Israel agreed to exchange 50 hostages for 150 prisoners, stop fighting for four days, and allow more aid to enter Gaza.
Hamas took an estimated 240 people hostage in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The militant group released four before Nov. 24—an American mother and daughter on Oct. 20 and two Israeli women on Oct. 23, both for "humanitarian reasons," according to Hamas.
Here’s what has happened so far.
Nov. 27: 11 Hostages transferred to Red Cross, Truce extended by two days
Eleven Israeli hostages were transferred to the Red Cross, according to IDF. Thirty-three Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released in exchange.
As hostages continue to be released, more details are also emerging regarding the conditions of the hostages’ captivity. At least one hostage released on Sunday, 84-year-old Elma Avraham, is in critical condition, the director of Soroka Medical Center in Southern Israel told reporters.
Merav Raviv told the Associated Press that her aunt and cousin had each lost 15 lbs over the course of their 50 days in captivity. The Associated Press also reported that hostages were forced to sleep on chairs and sometimes had to wait hours before using the bathroom.
Nov. 26: Hamas releases 17 hostages, Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners
Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages, three Thai nationals and a Russian to the Red Cross, the militant group and Israeli military reported at 6 p.m. local time. Among those released was four-year-old Abigail Edan, one of three hostages with American citizenship, U.S. President Joe Biden said. Hamas killed Edan’s parents at their home on the Kfar Aza kibbutz near Gaza, Bloomberg reported.
Israel, in turn, released 39 Palestinian prisoners, the Israel Prison service reported.
Nov. 25: Hamas frees 17 hostages, Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners
On the second day of the truce, 13 Israeli citizens and four foreigners were released and 39 Palestinian prisoners freed, Dr. Majed Al Ansari, the spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed on social media.
Around 11:15 p.m. local time, Al Ansari said the hostages had been handed over to the Red Cross and on their way to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
The hostages released included men, women and children. The Palestinian prisoners were women and boys.
The Israel Defense Forces listed some of the returned hostages as Emily Hand, Hila Rotem Shoshani, Shiri and Noga Weiss, Adi and Yahel Shoham. The Israel Prison service published a list of the 39 Palestinian prisoners released (in Hebrew).
The exchange happened after an hours-long delay. Hamas’ military arm, the Al-Qassam Brigades, had said in a statement on Telegram just after 6 p.m. that it decided to delay the release of hostages until Israel followed the agreement related to the entry of relief trucks into north Gaza.
In an interview with the BBC, a Hamas official also claimed Israel flew drones over Gaza, killed two Palestinians and changed the agreed list of Palestinian prisoners to be released. This was echoed by Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan during a news conference in Beirut, the BBC said. Israel denied to the BBC that it broke the truce. TIME reached out to both parties for comment.
Since Friday, more humanitarian aid has entered Gaza, where food and clean water have been running out during seven weeks of war.
The U.N. said 61 trucks of aid that included food, water and emergency medical supplies were delivered to north Gaza on Saturday with the help of the Palestinian and Egyptian Red Crescent Societies. The Palestinian branch confirmed it delivered some aid in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In its daily update on Saturday, the U.N. said Israeli authorities still had not allowed fuel to reach north Gaza.
After a tense couple of hours, Al Ansari said just before 9 p.m. that the deal would move forward after a delay “from both sides” that was resolved by Qatari and Egyptian mediation. Al Ansari said seven foreign national hostages would also be released outside of the agreement, but later said four were freed.
Two senior officials in President Joe Biden’s administration told NBC News the U.S. was disappointed no Americans were included in the first two hostage releases, but remained “hopeful” that at least three Americans would be freed as part of the total 50 expected.
Nov. 24: Hamas frees 24 hostages, Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners
On Friday, the first day of the truce, Hamas freed 24 hostages—men, women and children including 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino citizen—as confirmed by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Israel also released 39 Palestinian prisoners, women and children, which was “upholding the commitment of the first day of the agreement," Al Ansari said in a post on X.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office published a list of the names and ages of the released hostages, and the Israel Prison Service put out a list of the names of freed Palestinian prisoners.
Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on X just before 4 p.m. that 12 Thai hostages had been released by Hamas, as part of a separate agreement that the Egyptian government helped negotiate. The Thai foreign ministry corrected its announcement on Saturday to say that 10, not 12, Thai hostages had been released on Friday, and that at least 20 more Thai hostages remain in Gaza.
At around 4:30 p.m., 13 Israeli hostages were transferred from Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross, per The Times of Israel. Just before 5 p.m., hostages were transferred to the Egyptians, Israeli TV stations, as cited by Sky News, reported.
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced Friday that 24 hostages had been released. "We are relieved to confirm the safe release of 24 hostages," a social media post said. "We have facilitated this release by transporting them from Gaza to the Rafah border, marking the real-life impact of our role as a neutral intermediary between the parties."
Israel Defense Forces brought the released hostages to a hospital where they met their families, videos and photos show.
The IDF and Israel Foreign Ministry said earlier on Friday that they were ready to receive hostages with medical care and supplies, sharing pictures and a video on social media of toys, toiletries, blankets and clothes.
President Joe Biden said in an address on Friday that the release “was the start of a process” and expected that “dozens more hostages will be returned to their families.” He vowed to not stop until all the hostages are home and stressed he was still working to free two American women and one four-year-old child, Abigail.
Biden told reporters he’s urged Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce casualties while trying to eliminate Hamas, which he said was a “difficult task.” He also said “the chances are real” that the ceasefire could be extended by a few days or more.
With additional reporting by Koh Ewe.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
