13 Israelis and 4 Thai hostages freed after delay by Hamas
- The militants had pushed back the handover due to a dispute over the amount of aid reaching northern Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal
- The second exchange, which also saw 39 Palestinians released, was resumed after international mediation efforts
Hamas released 13 Israelis and four foreigners late Saturday in the second round of swaps under a ceasefire deal, the Israeli military said, after the militant group initially delayed the exchange for several hours and claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce deal.
The Israeli military said the released hostages, including four Thais, had been transferred to Israel. They were being taken to hospitals for observation and to be reunited with their families.
Shortly after midnight, Israel began releasing 39 Palestinian prisoners to east Jerusalem and the West Bank as part of the swap that ultimately went through after international mediation efforts.
Released Palestinian woman Shurouq Duwiyat arrived at her home in Jerusalem where joyous family members hugged and kissed her. “We send a message to our people in Gaza that we stand by your side and support you,” Duwiyat told reporters inside her home.
Also in Jerusalem, Israeli troops evicted journalists who gathered outside the home of Israa Jaabis, who had been imprisoned since 2015 after being convicted of carrying out separate attacks on Israelis. Jaabis suffered severe burns on her face and hands during a bombing attack that also wounded an Israeli police officer.