After weeks of negotiations, Hamas on Friday released the first group of prisoners it had agreed to release as part of a truce agreement with Israel that came into effect that morning.
Fighters took 237 people captive from Israel after the Hamas attack on October 7. Under the terms of the four-day truce agreement, Hamas is to release 50 prisoners in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and a pause in fighting. However, figures higher than these could be released, officials said.
The deal was reached and announced by Qatar on Wednesday, while the truce officially began at 7:00 a.m. local time (5:00 GMT) on Friday.
Here is what we know about the captives released by Hamas and those still in Gaza.
How many captives were released on Friday?
A total of 24 captives were released by Hamas on Friday. While Hamas initially planned to release 13 Israeli prisoners – women and children – it ultimately released 24 people, including 10 Thai nationals.
The Thai Prime Minister announced the release of 12 Thai citizens out of
Boards of directors Preparation time 12 hours Boards of directors 1 month Reports
– Srettha Thavisin (@Thavisin) November 24, 2023
But later in the evening, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry – which led the negotiations that resulted in the truce and the exchange of captives and prisoners – said the composition of the released captives was as follows:
- 13 Israelis, some with dual nationality
- 10 Thai nationals
- 1 Filipino
The 24 captives were transferred by Hamas to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who smuggled them from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing.
The captives were handed over to Egyptian authorities.
What time were they released?
Initial reports suggest the Thai captives were released just before 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT).
About half an hour later, the other prisoners were released, Hamas officials told AFP.
On the Egyptian side of the border, the freed Israeli captives met with representatives of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, according to the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
Medical personnel, soldiers and helicopters were also waiting for them. The released prisoners were transported by helicopter to hospitals in Tel Aviv for medical and psychological evaluations.
In hospitals, the captives will also be reunited with their families, the Israeli army announced Friday.
Which prisoners were released?
The Thai captives released Friday were among 23 captured by Palestinian fighters during their attack on southern Israel on October 7.
On Friday evening, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released the names of the 13 Israelis released by Hamas. Among them are, among others, four children and several elderly people.
- Doron Katz-Asher, 34 years old
- Raz Asher, 4
- Aviv Asher, 2 years old
- Daniel Aloni, 45 years old
- Amélia Aloni, 5 years old
- Ruth Munder, 78 years old
- Keren Monder, 54 years old
- Ohad Monder, 9 years old
- Adina Moshe, 72 years old
- Hanna Katzir, 76 years old
- Margalit Moïse, 77 years old
- Hanna Perry, 79 years old
- Yaffe Adar, 85 years old
However, relatives of the first group have not commented on this release. The Israeli government reportedly warned them not to speak to the media and asked the media not to publish names obtained through leaks.
Who could be released next?
The prisoners initially scheduled to be released today are among 50 that Hamas has committed to releasing over four days as part of the truce agreement.
But with the release of the 10 Thai prisoners and one Filipino, the total number of those Hamas will release during the truce is expected to exceed 50.
Three U.S. citizens and eight French citizens are among those who could be released during the truce, according to officials from both countries. The three American captives include two women and a three-year-old girl whose parents were killed in the initial Hamas attack. It is unclear whether any of the American or French captives were among those released Friday.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told Tel Aviv Tribune that the group was focused for now on freeing civilians. Hamad added that a full release of captives, including Israeli soldiers, would require an exchange with all 7,200 imprisoned Palestinians.
How many prisoners does Hamas have and who are they?
Palestinian fighters captured 237 people during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, according to Israel, although not all are currently part of Hamas.
Other resistance groups in the Gaza Strip, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also hold prisoners. Finalizing the truce agreement involved all resistance brigades agreeing via telephone call, Hamas said before the deal was announced.
Hamas fighters removed the captives in raids on an open-air music festival, collective farms called kibbutzim and military bases in Israel on October 7.
Not all captives are Israeli. At least half are foreigners and dual nationals from around 40 countries, including the United States, Thailand, the United Kingdom, France, Argentina, Germany, Chile, Spain and the Portugal, according to the Israeli government.
At least 33 captives are children, including preschoolers and a 10-month-old baby, according to Israel. They also reported that other members of the group include soldiers, elderly people and people with disabilities.
Hamas said the captives were housed in “safe places and tunnels.” The freed captives reported sleeping on mattresses on the tunnel floors and receiving medical treatment.
Have any captives been released from Gaza?
Hamas previously released four captives held in Gaza.
The first pair of captives released was an American mother-daughter duo on October 20, following a Qatari meditation.
Three days later, two elderly women were returned to Israel for “humanitarian reasons and poor health,” following mediation led by Egypt and Qatar.
The Israeli army said it rescued a kidnapped soldier, Ori Megidish, and discovered the body of another near al-Shifa hospital. Hamas said Israeli airstrikes killed 50 captives in Gaza, including their army conscript, Noa Marciano, near the hospital.
On November 16, the Israeli military also said it had found the body of a civilian prisoner, Yehudit Weiss, near al-Shifa.
On Tuesday, PIJ said an elderly woman, Hanna Katzir, died in captivity because Israel “delayed” her release after the group offered to return her on humanitarian grounds. Israel has not responded to these claims.