The Red Cross has confirmed that 24 hostages have been released from captivity in Gaza by Hamas as part of a four-day truce deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
A spokesperson for the Qatari ministry of foreign affairs says the group comprised 13 Israeli citizens, 10 Thais and one citizen of the Philippines.
The group are among the some 240 people taken hostage by Hamas terrorists during a deadly October 7 rampage in southern Israel. Hamas is expected to free up to 50 hostages in exchange for around 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Thailand's prime minister Srettha Thavisin earlier said on Friday afternoon twelve Thai nationals were being released as part of the swap deal.
The Israeli group of hostages, said to be a group of 13, underwent an initial medical check inside Israeli territory, the military said. They were to be accompanied by Israeli soldiers to hospitals to be reunited with their families.
Shortly after, a Palestinian official said 33 Palestinians had been released by Israel from a West Bank prison.
The temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early on Friday, with the deal also allowing more aid to reach southern Gaza, where Palestinians are facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity.
Not long after the ceasefire took effect, four fuel tankers and four tankers with cooking gas entered the Gaza Strip at the Rafah crossing from Egypt, Israel said.
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