Hamas began releasing hostages in a phased manner after it handed the first batch of seven captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza and is likely to set all remaining 13 hostages free as Palestinians wait for the release of nearly 2,000 from jails in Israel.
According to Red Cross officials, “Hamas handed over the seven captives so far, with the rest expected to be released in a phased manner throughout the day.”
The United States President has declared an end to the Gaza war, as he is expected to arrive in the Middle East, where he will address the Israeli Knesset and co-chair a summit in Egypt on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
He will later take part in the Gaza peace summit expected to take place later in the day at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. Thousands of Palestinians have started their return journey to homes in northern Gaza as the desperately needed humanitarian aid begins trickling into the Strip.
However, the officials and international aid groups have said that aid, including food, medicine and other essentials, remains critically inefficient. In the Israel-Gaza invasions, post-October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks have killed 67,806 people and wounded 170,066 since the start of the war.
A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.
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