Hamas releases eight Israeli and Thai hostages from captivity in Gaza as part of prisoner swap
- 30 January, 14:07
Hamas released eight more Israeli, including Thai hostages on Thursday, in return for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as part as the third phase of the prisoner swap deal. The militant group handed over three Israeli citizens and five Thai nationals to the Red Cross, after which they were transferred to Israeli forces and brought to Israel.
The prisoners were released just hours after a tumultuous hostage handover in the Gaza Strip, where militants restrained thousands of exuberant Palestinian onlookers while transferring the hostages to the Red Cross.
Subsequently, Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 32 serving life sentences and 30 minors. However, Israel delayed the release in response to the treatment of the hostages during the handover.
The exchange of the prisoners if part of the fragile cease-fire agreement reached in November and aimed at ending nearly 15-month war that started in October 2023 after Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Israeli soldier Agam Berger, 20, was the first to be freed on Thursday, escorted by masked gunmen through a rubble-strewn area in a carefully orchestrated event in Jabalia, northern Gaza. In a statement, Agam’s family expressed that they could now start the healing process but emphasized that true recovery would only be possible once all the hostages were safely back home.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militant group attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The attack led to a war that has severely impacted Gaza. The attack was followed by months of the bloodiest war between Israel and Hamas.
