Twenty-four hostages have been freed by Hamas and are now back in Israel, marking a major milestone in the conflict that began on 7 October. Among those released are 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino, according to Qatar, which mediated the deal. The Israeli group includes four children aged two, four, six and nine, as well as an 85-year-old woman.
In exchange, Israel released 39 Palestinian detainees to the West Bank – 24 women and 15 teenage boys, most held in pre-trial detention. The swap is part of a four-day temporary ceasefire agreement that aims to see 50 Israeli hostages and 150 Palestinian detainees freed.
Eight freed Israeli hostages were taken to Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, where crowds cheered as helicopters landed. Dr Efrat Bron-Harlev, the centre's CEO, confirmed that four children and four women arrived at the facility.
Meanwhile, 137 lorries carrying medical supplies, fuel and food entered Gaza from Egypt – the largest aid delivery since the conflict began. The UN agency for Palestinians, Unrwa, said 129,000 litres of fuel had also been delivered. However, Oxfam warned the supplies were 'not nearly enough'. Before the war, around 500 trucks of aid entered Gaza daily.
Despite the truce, videos on social media appeared to show Palestinians being shot at while trying to move from southern to northern Gaza. The Israeli military advised against heading north, calling the area a war zone. At Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital, the situation remains 'catastrophic', with around 100 patients and staff still inside but the facility no longer operational.
US President Joe Biden described the releases as 'the start of a process', and Israeli media reported that Hamas has sent a list of 13 more hostages expected to be freed tomorrow. The conflict began on 7 October when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages. Since then, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 14,500 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign.
