Armed and masked Hamas fighters freed a first wave of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners on Friday.
Hamas released a total of 24 hostages, all women and children, according to Qatar and an official Israeli list. They include 13 Israelis, some of them with dual citizenship, 10 Thais and one Filipino citizen. Israel, in turn, freed 39 women and children from its prisons.
A two-minute video released by Hamas shows masked and armed militants handing over the hostages to Red Cross officials.
The hostages have been held since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel and killed around 1,200 people and took around 240 Israelis and foreigners as hostages.
In response, Israel launched a relentless bombing and ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which, according to the Hamas government, resulted in more than 14,100 deaths.
Hamas is expected to release 50 hostages during the ceasefire in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, as part of a deal brokered by Qatar with the help of Egypt and the US.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, has promised to bring home all the Hamas hostages.
“This is one of the goals of the war, and we are committed to achieving all the goals of the war,” he said.
US President Joe Biden said Friday’s release was just the “beginning”.
When asked about the American women and children who could be released as part of the agreement, Biden said he did not know when they would be released, but “we expect it to happen”.
Trucks carrying supplies, including fuel, food and medicine, began moving into Gaza shortly after the ceasefire kicked in.
