The Israeli military has revealed that Hamas has tonight handed over twelve Israeli and four Thai hostages, who are all on their way back to Israel, on the sixth day of the precarious and temporary ceasefire truce.
Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, said in a post to X this evening: ‘According to the information provided by the Red Cross, 10 Israeli abductees and abductees and four abductees with Thai citizenship are on their way to Israel.’
The names of the 10 Israeli hostages released within the ceasefire agreement are as follows: Liat Atzili, 49, Yarden Roman Gat, 36, Raz Ben Ami, 57, Raaya Rotem, 54, Liam Or, 18, Ofir Engel, 17, Amit Shani, 16, Gali Tarshanksy, 13, Moran Stela Yanai, 40, and Itai Regev, 18.
Several of the hostages have dual nationality, with a minor hailing from the Netherlands, three adults from Germany and an adult from the US.
Six of the hostages are said to hail from Kibbutz Be’eri, the site of one of the deadliest settlement massacres on October 7, where at least 130 people were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists.
The spokesperson said that 30 Palestinians, made up of 16 children and 14 women, would be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange.
It comes hours after two elderly Israeli hostages were handed back to Israeli forces earlier today in a deal that was negotiated ‘outside the framework of the agreement’, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry.
Gali Tarshanksy, 13, (pictured) is one of the 16 hostages freed tonight
Liam Or (pictured) was taken from his home by Hamas on October 7
Yarden Roman, 36, was freed after over seven weeks as a Hamas hostage
Raaya Rotem (pictured, left) will soon be reunited with her daughter
30 Palestinians, made up of 16 children and 14 women, would be freed from Israeli prisons in exchange.
Yelena Trupanov, 50, and her mother, Irena Tati, 73, (pictured) who both have dual Israel-Russian citizenship, were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’ deadly incursion on October 7.
The spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry said earlier today that he was ‘hopeful’ that the temporary truce deal can be extended.
Yelena Trupanov, 50, and her mother, Irena Tati, 73, who both have dual Israel-Russian citizenship, were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’ deadly incursion on October 7.
Yelena’s son Sasha, and his girlfriend Sapir Cohen, are still in Hamas custody, while her husband, Vitaly, was sadly killed on the day of the deadly attacks.
Four Thai citizens were released alongside Yelena and Irena.
Six of the hostages released within the deal are from Kibbutz Be’eri, according to the Times of Israel.
Members of the settlement were seen jubilantly celebrating hearing the news of their loved ones’ release.
The spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry said earlier today that he was ‘hopeful’ that the temporary truce deal can be extended.
‘Qatar remains hopeful that the progress made in recent days can be sustained, and a further extension to the humanitarian pause agreement can be reached,’ he said.
The ceasefire deal was on Monday extended by two days, hours before the initial agreement was due to end.
The terms of the truce agreement pausing the fighting in the Gaza Strip say it can be extended beyond its initial four-day term as long as 10 hostages are released for each extra day, with three times as many Palestinians freed in return.
The deal is understood to have gone down to a wire and seemed on the verge of unravelling. Hamas had accused Israel of failing to keep its side of the bargain and Israel was threatening to resume its lethal onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
But mediators were able to pull it back from the brink, a feat that involved the first ever public visit by Qatari officials to Israel, according to AP.
More to follow.
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