Hamas (designated a terrorist organization by the United States) and Israel will release more hostages and prisoners on Wednesday, on the last day of a six-day truce, as attention turns to whether mediator Qatar can negotiate a new extension of the truce.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad freed 12 hostages on Tuesday, bringing to 81 the total number freed since the truce began on Friday. Among them were mostly Israeli women and children and foreign citizens.
Hamas militants hand over a group of hostages to Red Cross officials as part of an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. November 28, 2023.
After being handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Israeli side reported that the hostages, including 10 Israeli and two Thai women, had undergone initial medical examinations. They were then taken to Israeli hospitals where they would be reunited with their families. The hostages range in age from 17 to 84, including a single mother.
Some time later, Israel released 30 Palestinians from Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank and from a detention center in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Prisoners Club, a semi-official organization, said the total number of Palestinians freed under the truce had reached 180.
A Palestinian prisoner (center) after being released from an Israeli prison in exchange for Israeli hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. November 28, 2023.
Israel said the truce could be extended if Hamas continues to release at least 10 Israeli hostages a day. But with fewer women and children left in captivity, the release of at least some Israeli men for the first time may require a negotiated process.
The hostages the Palestinians are gradually freeing include about 240 people captured by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people. Israeli authorities responded by launching attacks throughout Hamas-controlled Gaza, killing more than 15,000 residents of the enclave, local health officials said.
Qatar, which mediated the talks between Hamas and Israel that led to the ceasefire, hosted intelligence chiefs from the Israeli Mossad and the US CIA on Tuesday.
The talks were aimed at “continuing the successes of the enhanced humanitarian truce and opening further discussions on the next phase of a possible deal,” a source with knowledge of the meetings told Reuters.
In turn, the G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday called for an extension of the truce and more humanitarian assistance.
Approximately 159 hostages remain in Gaza. The White House said Tuesday that the figure included nine Americans. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States hopes Hamas will release more Americans and that the U.S. government will work with Qatar to extend the truce.
“We want to see all the hostages free. The way to do that is to extend these pauses,” Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.