The release of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas: how it happened

Hamas released 24 hostages on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire. For its part, Israel is also releasing Palestinian prisoners, and humanitarian convoys have headed into the war-torn sector.

The first group of hostages was released from Gaza on Friday, a day of high tension and deep relief but also acute concern for the future after weeks of ongoing violence in the war between Israel and Hamas, The Guardian writes.

Twenty-four hostages were released by Hamas – 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino national – as part of a deal that led to a temporary pause in fighting and included the release of Palestinians jailed by Israel.

There was a holiday in Israel, and in Gaza, where thousands of people were killed and more than 1 million people were internally displaced, there was a day of relative calm. But while the deal raised hopes of a longer ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed he would not end Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas.

According to The Guardian, 13 Israelis reached their home country in the early evening. Some of them were greeted by friends and neighbors from their kibbutzim. The recent captives included very young children whose seven-week ordeal in captivity finally ended after they were kidnapped in deadly attacks carried out by Hamas last month.

A total of 39 Palestinian prisoners – 24 women, including several convicted of attempted murder in connection with attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers jailed for offenses such as throwing stones – were also released by Israel on Friday evening . Some of them have not seen their homes for many years.

The four-day ceasefire marks the first break in seven weeks of war in Gaza and brings some relief to the 2.3 million Palestinians who have been subjected to intense Israeli bombing, as well as to families in Israel fearing for the fate of loved ones captured in the attack that sparked conflict.

Under the agreement, Hamas must release at least 50 of the roughly 240 mostly Israeli hostages it has held since attacks began on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In exchange, Israel will release at least 150 Palestinian prisoners and allow up to 300 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza.

Netanyahu welcomed the return of the Israeli hostages, including an 85-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl.

“Each of them is a whole world. But I stress…we are committed to the return of all hostages. This is one of the goals of the war, and we are committed to achieving all the goals of the war,” Netanyahu said.

Israel said it had received a list of hostages due to be released by Hamas on Saturday after being released on Friday. Israeli security officials are studying the list, Netanyahu’s office said.

The ceasefire, initially lasting four or five days, was declared early Wednesday and raised hopes of a longer pause in violence.

The Israeli offensive on Gaza has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, according to Palestinian officials. More people are believed to be buried in the rubble.

Underscoring the fragility of the four-day pause, an alarm sounded in Israel 15 minutes after the ceasefire began at 7 a.m. warning of a possible rocket launch from Gaza targeting a village in southern Israel, followed by reports of the sound of artillery fire from Israel.

But throughout the morning and afternoon, much of Gaza seemed to have settled into relative calm.

In a surprise development, Thai Prime Minister Sretta Thaweesin announced that several Thai hostages had been released. They are believed to have been agricultural guest workers who were hired in communities around Gaza, where Gelienor Pacheco, from the Philippines, was a caregiver.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he was “overjoyed” to confirm the release.

“He is now safely in the custody of our embassy officials in Israel,” Marcos wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I applaud the work of the Philippine Foreign Service in securing his release and once again thank the State of Qatar for their invaluable assistance in making Jimmy’s release possible.”

Marcos said the search for the second missing Filipino citizen continues.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said 10 Thai hostages had been released and their families had been notified. “The group will remain in hospital for at least 48 hours while the Royal Thai Embassy makes all necessary arrangements for their return to Thailand and their families as soon as possible,” the ministry said in a statement.

The hostages were taken out of Gaza and handed over to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing, accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“The deep pain experienced by family members separated from their loved ones is indescribable,” said Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC regional director for the Middle East. “We are relieved that some will be reunited after much suffering.”

The Israeli military said the hostages underwent initial medical examinations inside Israel.

The freed hostages were then airlifted to medical facilities across Israel, where they will be reunited with loved ones. Families of the hostages and their supporters gathered in Tel Aviv to celebrate.

“We couldn’t wait for those hours to pass,” said Corinne Moshe, daughter-in-law of freed hostage Adina Moshe, 72. Her husband and his siblings were waiting in hospital to be reunited with their mother, she told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

Corinne’s son Erez said he was looking forward to meeting his grandmother: “I really, really miss her. I want her to come back already. I want to have dinner with her and the whole family again.”

Schneider Children’s Medical Center said it was treating eight Israelis – four children and four women – and that all were in good physical condition, according to the Associated Press. The center said it was also receiving psychological help, adding that “this is a sensitive time” for families.

The families’ vigorous campaigning was a major factor in Netanyahu’s deal with Hamas, the organization he had vowed to “crush.”

“We hope that in the end the picture will be beautiful,” Ziv Agmon, a legal adviser to Netanyahu’s office, told reporters, adding that Israel “will follow the agreement.”

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader outside Gaza, said in a recording on Friday that the Islamist group was committed to the agreement, reached after lengthy and difficult negotiations brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, as long as Israel was also committed to the deal.

In the occupied West Bank, families waited anxiously throughout the day for news that Palestinian prisoners were to be released.

In the early evening, two white buses escorted by armored personnel carriers were seen leaving the Ofer military camp in the West Bank.

Upon arrival at the Beituniya crossing, Palestinian prisoners on the buses were greeted by large crowds, many chanting “Allahu Akbar,” as fireworks lit up the night sky.

Among them was Malak Salman, who was arrested seven years ago for attempting to stab a police officer in Jerusalem. Now 23, she was returned to her home in Beit Safafa, in annexed East Jerusalem, under Israeli police escort.

“The police are in our house and stop people coming to visit us,” said her mother Fatina. “My daughter is weak, she hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday.”

The exchange of women and child hostages and prisoners was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon but was delayed as logistical issues were resolved at the last minute during 24 hours of frantic diplomacy.

The agreement calls for an end to Israeli military flights over southern Gaza and limits air activity over northern Gaza to six hours a day. Israel has agreed not to arrest anyone in Gaza for the duration of the truce, according to a Hamas statement.

According to reports, if the first exchanges are successful and Hamas is able to find more hostages or children, both sides will be released later. Some sources suggest that the resulting ceasefire could last up to 10 days.

Aid trucks began entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt about 90 minutes after the ceasefire began at 5 a.m. local time.

Aid officials said the aid was only a fraction of what was needed and that robust procedures were in place to prevent Hamas from requisitioning fuel and other essential supplies, as Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed. Israel’s near-total blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages and “catastrophic” conditions, aid agencies have said.

Medical facilities were destroyed throughout the sector, and doctors described struggling to treat the “overwhelming” number of seriously wounded with insufficient supplies.

Areas of northern Gaza were destroyed and up to 1 million people were displaced. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without providing proof of its count.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have told Gazans that the war is not over. “The humanitarian pause is temporary,” they say on social networks. “The northern part of the Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and movement to the north is prohibited. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south.”

A similar message was repeated in leaflets dropped over southern Gaza, where almost all Gazans live, after they were ordered to leave the north, where fighting between the IDF and Hamas was most intense.

Despite the warnings, many joyful but wary Palestinians emerged from makeshift shelters in southern Gaza at the start of the ceasefire to try to make the long journey back to their homes in the territory’s north. Many were blocked by Israeli troops, writes The Guardian.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the ceasefire as “a short respite, after which the fighting will continue in intensity.”

“We will apply pressure to return more hostages. The fighting is expected to continue for at least another two months,” he promised.