Hamas Frees 8 Israeli Hostages As Truce Nears End On Seventh Day

After a deal to extend the truce was reached on seventh day, eight Israeli hostages were released from Gaza captivity on Thursday.

After a deal to extend the truce was reached, eight Israeli hostages were released from Gaza captivity on Thursday.

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Israel-Gaza War: Eight Israeli hostages were released from Gaza captivity on Thursday as a part of the truce agreement with Israel. According to The Times of Israel, two women, Mia Schem, 21, and Amit Soussana, 40, were freed in the afternoon. The release of hostages on Thursday came after a deal to extend the truce was reached just ahead of the deadline for it to expire.

According to the Israeli military, Hamas then released a group of six more hostages and transferred them to the Red Cross. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces stated that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had transferred the six hostages to Egypt. The hostages reached a meeting point with Israeli soldiers at Kerem Shalom, a border crossing connecting Gaza, Egypt, and Israel.

The hostages would undergo an initial medical assessment at the Hatzerim Base in southern Israel before being taken to hospitals, where they would meet their families, the IDF said.

According to Xinhua news agency, the six hostages freed by Hamas include an 18-year-old Bedouin man, his 17-year-old sister, and four Israeli women, according to a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister's office. In the television images, some young women among the group can be seen walking towards ambulances after they reached Israeli territory, as reported by news agency Reuters.

On Thursday United States secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in Israel. Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv with the aim of convincing the Israeli government to agree to an extension and to continue humanitarian aid across the border from Egypt into Gaza.

“We’ll discuss with Israel how it can achieve its objective of ensuring that the terrorist attacks of October 7 never happen again while sustaining and increasing humanitarian assistance and minimising further suffering and casualties among Palestinian civilians,” Blinken told reporters in Brussels, as quoted by The Guardian.