Thailand’s PM says 12 Thai nationals released by Hamas
Within the next hour, hostage-taker embassy staff will retrieve the hostages, according to a social media post by Srettha Thavisin. The people who were freed do not yet have public identities.
Hamas refrained from commenting on the announcement right away.
It coincides with the planned release of 13 more hostages on Friday as part of an agreement mediated by Qatar to swap a group of women and children kidnapped by Hamas for Israeli-prisoned Palestinian civilians.
Israeli captives transferred to the red cross
As part of a larger four-day truce agreement, 13 Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas have reportedly been handed over to the Red Cross.
The exchange happened at about 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday, following the implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire in accordance with the same agreement at 7 a.m. The Friday swap was first reported to involve the release of 13 Hamas hostages in return for the release of 24 women and 15 juvenile boys from Israeli detention.
Just prior to the transfer, the prime minister of Thailand announced that, in addition to the 13 Israeli captives, Hamas had freed 12 Thai nationals who were in its custody.
According to a White House official, Washington does not expect any Americans to be among the first group of hostages released, but it is still optimistic that Americans will be among those freed in the next several days.
During the truce period, 150 Palestinian prisoners and at least 50 people captured by Hamas during the terror attacks of October 7 will be freed. It is anticipated that this will also permit the entry and distribution of more humanitarian aid for the beleaguered Gaza Strip and the southward evacuation of Palestinians from the northern part of the enclave.
According to the head of the Hamas political bureau, Israel and the Palestinian militant organization are willing to abide by the conditions of the limited armistice.
Although there has been a small pause in hostilities in the days since the agreement was first announced, Israeli authorities have stressed that the war campaign is still ongoing, making an extension of the accord improbable thus far.
Released hostages cross into Egypt
Egyptian officials announced on Friday that 25 hostages who had been freed by Hamas had been moved from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah gate.
The transfer happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time, when the 13 Israeli and 12 Thai prisoners were set free.
Under an arrangement mediated by Qatar, the 13 Israelis were initially turned over to the Red Cross and a four-day humanitarian respite was stipulated. The prime minister of Thailand confirmed the release of the nationals, who are believed to have been freed as part of an independent plan.
Released Thai hostages cross the border into Israel
According to Israeli news agency Haaretz, the twelve Thai hostages that Hamas freed have now entered Israel. This was reported on Friday.
Though they are all reportedly guys, the detainees’ identities have not yet been made public. The reports could not be independently verified by CNBC.
The exchange of 13 Israeli women and children that took place on Friday is not the same as the release.
.Under the terms of the recent Gaza cease-fire agreement, the first group of captives taken by Hamas on October 7 has been freed.
13 Israeli hostages were seen on local TV stations being moved to the Red Cross and subsequently entering Egypt. Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister of Thailand, said just before that Hamas had freed 12 Thai nationals who were being held captive in Gaza.
This follows the official start of the first brief stoppage in combat earlier on Friday. Several Palestinians who have been imprisoned by Israeli forces will also be let to go back to their homes.
It is unclear if both parties, who have been adamant in denouncing one another up to this point, will abide by the conditions of the deal. The last four days have brought about the much-needed break in the conflict.
The war is not over yet
Israeli defense forces
The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, emphasized that “the war is not over yet.” “This humanitarian stop won’t last forever. Moving northward is prohibited in the Gaza Strip due to its perilous nature as a combat zone.
