(Bloomberg) -- Hamas released a group of 24 hostages held in Gaza under a four-day truce agreement with Israel, a brief pause in six weeks of war that have devastated the Palestinian territory following the deadly attack by militants last month.
“We are relieved to confirm the safe release of 24 hostages,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The group was made up of 13 Israelis, some of them with dual citizenship, as well as 10 Thai nationals and a citizen of the Philippines, according to the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which helped negotiated the deal. All were women or minors.
Those freed were among some 240 people captured when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, triggering the Israeli bombardment and invasion of Gaza. A cease-fire went into effect earlier Friday.
As the cease-fire came into effect, streets in the southern Gaza Strip — where Israel has urged civilians to evacuate to as its troops concentrate on the north — were filled with people emerging from shelters, some carrying belongings, footage on Al Jazeera showed. In the city of Khan Younis, cars crowded the streets and blared their horns.
Under the deal, which came after weeks of complex and delicate talks brokered by Qatar, the US and Egypt, Hamas is supposed to eventually return 50 women and children. Israel should release 150 jailed Palestinian women and youths, and a first group of 39 were released Friday, Qatar said.
Understanding the Roots of the Israel-Hamas War: QuickTake
Israeli strikes from air, land and sea intensified ahead of the cease-fire, the United Nations said. Shortly before the pause, the Israeli army warned people in Gaza to stay in southern areas. In recent weeks hundreds of thousands have fled their homes in the north, which Israel says is Hamas's “center of gravity.”
The start of the truce was delayed by a day as the sides held last-minute negotiations via Qatar following an initial agreement in the early hours of Wednesday.
“It's going to be a very fragile few days,” Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said to Bloomberg Television on Friday. “We're going to have to see how things develop, if both sides adhere to the agreement.”
The Biden administration remains hopeful that Americans will be among the hostages released by Hamas as the agreement with Israel took effect, but didn't expect any to be among the first group Friday, according to a senior administration official.
The pause marks the first major lull in fighting since the conflict began on Oct. 7. That day, Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, attacked southern Israeli communities and army bases from Gaza, killing 1,200 people as well as taking the hostages.
Israel responded with a bombardment of the Gaza Strip, a densely-packed Mediterranean enclave with around 2.3 million inhabitants. It also launched a ground offensive on the northern part in late October. Almost 15,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began, according to its Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that after the truce ends on Tuesday, Israel will carry on the war until Hamas is destroyed.
--With assistance from Akayla Gardner.
(Updates make-up of hostages released in second paragraph)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
