Hamas Released 13 Israeli Captives And Four Thai Hostages After A Delay Of Several Hours

Hamas releases 13 Israelis and four Thai captives after a delay

Hamas handed over 13 Israeli captives and four Thai nationals to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after a seven-hour delay, citing Israel's alleged violation of a truce.

The deadlock was resolved with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt on the second day of the Israel-Palestinian conflict's temporary ceasefire.

Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on X that 13 Israelis and four foreign nationals were transferred to the ICRC. They were en route to the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, destined for Israel.

The Israeli Army confirmed on X that the 17 captives had arrived in Israel. "Following an initial medical assessment, they will be accompanied by IDF [Israeli Army] personnel to Israeli hospitals for reunification with their families," the statement read.

Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut, stated that the 17 individuals released were first taken to a southern Israeli airbase for initial assessments. Subsequently, they will be transported to various hospitals in the Tel Aviv region for further medical and psychological evaluations.

As per a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office, the group of hostages included six adult women and seven children and teenagers. They were released after being held captive for 50 days.

Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan previously mentioned that the aid shipments permitted by Israel fell short of the promised amount and were not reaching northern Gaza, the primary target of Israel’s offensive.

From Beirut, Hamdan highlighted that out of 340 aid trucks entering Gaza since Friday, only 65 reached northern Gaza, which was "less than half of what Israel had agreed upon."

Israel reported that 50 trucks carrying food, water, shelter equipment, and medical supplies were sent to northern Gaza under United Nations supervision. This marked the first significant aid delivery to the region since the beginning of the conflict seven weeks ago.