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The exchange of prisoners took place on Friday, with Hamas releasing 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly. In return, Israel released 39 Palestinian women and youth from its prisons.
Hamas has released another group of Israeli hostages as part of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. According to Reuters, 17 hostages were released from Hamas custody on Sunday and arrived in their home country, Israel. The group includes 13 Israelis and 4 Thai citizens. All hostages were reunited with their families under a significant agreement. While there were some challenges during the negotiations, Qatar and Egypt's mediation helped overcome them.
This exchange is reciprocal, involving the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. The delicacy of this agreement is evident. Now, 17 hostages have returned to their country after being released from Hamas custody.
In television footage that has surfaced, it shows the released hostages crossing the Rafah border from Gaza towards Egypt. Hamas handed over the hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) late on Saturday. According to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among the 13 released Israelis, there were six women and seven children and teenagers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a statement, 'The released hostages are being taken to Israeli hospitals, where they will reunite with their families.'
In exchange for Israeli hostages, 39 Palestinian citizens, including 33 adults, were released from Israeli prisons. Al Jazeera TV released live footage of a Red Cross bus carrying the Palestinians released from Israeli jails, heading towards the West Bank city of Bethlehem, which is under Israeli control. A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations said that Hamas will continue the ceasefire with Israel for another four days, during which the conflict's conditions will be met, including the passage of all aid trucks to northern Gaza, according to the agreed-upon terms. Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan stated that only 65 out of the 340 aid trucks that entered Gaza on Friday reached northern Gaza, which is less than half of what Israel approved. The IDF stated that the aid to Gaza Strip was coordinated through UN and international organizations.
Israel has pledged to end the Hamas militant group ruling the Gaza Strip in response to the attack on October 7, where hundreds were killed, and around 240 hostages were taken. In response to that attack, Israel has been conducting both ground and aerial strikes. Palestinian health officials said on Saturday that approximately 14,800 people have been killed in Israeli attacks so far, with around 40% being children. The exchange of hostages occurred on Friday when Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly, and in return, Israel released 39 Palestinian women and youth from its jails.
The dispute between Israel and Hamas over the terms of the ceasefire escalated, as Hamas stated that it would continue to delay the release of hostages in the designated second phase until Israel fulfills all the conditions, including allowing aid trucks to enter northern Gaza and meeting all other ceasefire conditions. A Palestinian source stated that 100 hostages could be released as part of this agreement.
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, accused Israel of failing to honor the terms of the release of Palestinian hostages and not releasing Palestinian prisoners on the basis of seniority.
Concerns about the delicate diplomacy between Qatar and Egypt were highlighted on Saturday as families of the hostages awaited hours to reunite with their loved ones. The released individuals on Saturday included Maya Regev, a nine-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage, whose death had initially been reported. Her mother, Miri Regav, said in a statement issued by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, 'My heart is broken because my son Ithai is still in Hamas captivity in Gaza.' Emily Hand, a nine-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage, was also among those released. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement, 'This is a day of great joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. Ireland is working double time to facilitate a permanent ceasefire.'
In response to the situation, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid al-Ansari said on Saturday that there has been 'much discussion' on how and who should be given priority for release. The decision on which Palestinian prisoners to release first was based on their time spent in Israeli jails. He told CNN, 'Now we hope that in the second or third day of this truce, we will be able to bring forward many details that made the release so difficult.'
Israel stated that if Hamas continues to release approximately 10 hostages daily, the ceasefire may be extended. A Palestinian source stated that 100 hostages could be released. Somewhere there is happiness, somewhere there is sorrow. On Saturday, the day became a day of extremely worrying diplomacy between Qatar and Egypt, as families of the hostages waited for hours to meet their loved ones.