Topline
The fifth release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas—and the first since a temporary cease-fire was extended—is underway as Hamas gave hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza to be returned to Israel on Tuesday, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
This image grab taken from an AFPTV video footage shows an International Red Cross vehicle … [+]
Key Facts
Hamas sent its fifth group of hostages to be returned to Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza around 12 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Egyptian officials told the Wall Street Journal.
Ten Israeli hostages are being released in the fifth group: nine women and one minor, one person of “Austrian nationality, (two) from Argentina, and a Filipino national,” according to a post on X from Majed Al Ansari, Qatar’s spokesperson for foreign affairs.
Al Ansari said 30 Palestinian civilians—15 minors and 15 women—are being released from Israeli prisons.
Israeli Defense Forces told CNN and ABC that an additional two foreign nationals were released alongside the 10 Israeli hostages.
It is not expected that any Americans will be released in today’s group of hostages, a White House official told CNN, though there are still believed to be nine being held.
Tuesday marks the first day of the extended truce—which is currently set to last two days—between Israel and Hamas after Hamas agreed to return more Israeli hostages and Israel agreed to return more prisoners in order to extend the pause in fighting beyond the original four-day agreement.
Big Number
69. That’s how many hostages were released by Hamas over the course of the original, four-day cease-fire. Fifty of those hostages were Israeli citizens, and the other 19 were Thai, Filipino and Russian and released under separate agreements, NBC News reported.
What To Watch For
Whether the temporary truce is further extended, meaning more hostages and prisoners would be released. Axios reporter and CNN analyst Barak Ravid posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday that Israeli officials said they were “ready to extend the pause in fighting … for up to 9 days” if Hamas released 10 additional hostages daily.
Key Background
On Nov. 21, Hamas agreed to release some of the estimated 240 hostages—all women and children—it has held since Oct. 7 in exchange for a temporary cease-fire agreement with Israel, with Israel also agreeing to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange. On Friday, the first 24 hostages were released, followed by an additional 17 on Saturday and Sunday and 11 more on Monday. The now-five-day cease-fire is the longest break in warfare since the initial Hamas attack in early October. The Hamas-run health ministry estimates 14,800 people have died in Gaza since Oct. 7—far outpacing deaths in other recent conflicts, according to Axios— and about 1,200 Israelis have died, mostly in the first attack.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/11/28/hamas-releases-fifth-israeli-hostage-group/