The first group of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7 attacks was released on Friday morning, Israel-Gaza time.
According to officials, 24 Israeli hostages and 39 Palestinian prisoners in Israel were released hours after the four-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, as per the deal.
The Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson revealed on his social media that the hostages include 13 Israeli hostages, specifically women and children, 10 Thais, and one Filipino.
In what appeared to be Red Cross trucks, hostages were carried, and these crossed the Gaza border into Egypt around 6 p.m. local time.
The released hostages, after reaching Israeli soil, underwent initial medical assessments, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on their social media before 7 p.m. local time.
In Gaza, thousands gathered Friday in the West Bank village of Beitunia to greet freed Palestinian prisoners, who included 24 women and 15 teenage boys. IDF members accompanied the released hostages to hospitals, where they would be reunited with their families.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed their release on Friday and promised the release of others.
“We just completed the return of the first of our hostages: children, their mothers, and additional women. Each of them is an entire world. But I emphasise to you, the families, and to you, the citizens of Israel: we are committed to returning all the hostages. This is one of the aims of the war, and we are committed to achieving all the aims of the war,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu’s office said in a Friday evening statement that Israeli intelligence had received a list of a second group of hostages due to be released on Saturday in what they said was a continuation of the cease-fire agreement.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that it had “begun carrying out a multi-day operation to facilitate the release and transfer of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian detainees to the West Bank.”
President Joe Biden of the United States said that he expected more hostages to be released on Saturday.
“It’s only a start, but so far it’s gone well; in the next hour or so, we’ll know what the second wave of releases are,” President Biden said after Friday’s hostage release.
President Biden also confessed that the U.S. does not know when the Americans held hostage will be released or all of their conditions, but he said he hopes for the best.
According to US President Biden, the chances for the ceasefire to be extended are high, and he promised to stay in contact with the Qatar, Egypt, and Israel leaders to make sure the deal stays on track.
