Hamas said today that it has handed over 13 more hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, as the last remaining living hostages held by it.
The first batch of seven Israeli hostages was released earlier in the day as part of a large-scale prisoner swap mediated by Egypt and Qatar, with the ICRC facilitating their handover to the Israeli side, reports AFP.
One of the seven hostages was identified by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office as a soldier captured from his tank position.
Others are six civilians who were taken by Hamas militants from communities near Gaza and at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu’s office said the government was “committed to bringing back all the hostages held by the enemy and will act to achieve this mission with determination and perseverance.”
Another batch of the bodies of deceased hostages is expected later today, along with the release of about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire deal.
