An initial 24 hostages have been released by the Hamas as part of the ceasefire agreement reached in the Israel-Hamas war.
The released hostages are 13 Israelis, 10 Thai workers, and 1 Filipino. More releases are expected to follow.
In exchange, Israel has set free 39 Palestinian prisoners and is allowing some trucks with humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza to meet the supply needs of the people in the embattled enclave.
The agreement is for an initial four-days ‘pause’ in hostilities for the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners and permission of aid trucks and fuel into Gaza.
There were originally about 240 hostages grabbed and taken into Gaza when Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, killing many civilians and military personnel and snatching the hostages into Gaza.
Qatar has been playing a leading role in the negotiations that have led to the pause and swap of hostages for prisoners and aid trucks. The International Committee of the Red Cross received the hostages from Hamas and handed them over to the Israeli authorities.
The agreement also allows an extension of the pause in exchange for the release of more hostages, one additional day of pause for release of 10 more hostages.
