Hamas freed 13 Israeli hostages and 12 workers from Thailand

The Palestinian radical movement Hamas released from captivity the first group of people who were captured during the attack on Israel on October 7.

As The Times of Israel writes, the captives were handed over to Red Cross employees. They will soon cross the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

The release of the hostages, the newspaper notes, will take place in four stages. They are determined by an agreement previously concluded by the parties to the conflict.

In addition to the Israeli hostages, Hamas militants released 12 workers from Thailand, as Thai Prime Minister Settha Thawisin informed. According to the BBC, the release of Thai citizens is not part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was brokered by Qatar.

• On November 22, Israeli authorities and Hamas representatives agreed to a temporary ceasefire and exchange 50 hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire agreement entered into force today at 8:00 a.m. Kyiv time.
• On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel and killed nearly 1,400 people, mostly civilians. More than 200 people were taken hostage. In response, Israel began bombing the Gaza Strip, and on October 25 — a ground operation in the exclave.
• The north of the Gaza Strip is surrounded. Fighting continues in Gaza City itself. Israeli troops have seized all Hamas administrative buildings and are methodically clearing the tunnels. The army is entrenched in the north of Gaza and shifts the focus of the campaign to the south. Israeli officials say the army has no choice but to invade southern and central Gaza if it wants to completely destroy Hamas.