The Israeli Armed Forces have confirmed that the release of the fourth group of hostages held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) with the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been successfully completed and the eleven Israelis are now in Israeli territory. and guarded by military forces. There is no news of the other six hostages of Thai nationality whose release had been announced.
“An elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces and a contingent of the Shin Bet – Israeli secret services for the interior and the Palestinian territories – are currently accompanying the eleven kidnapped people,” the official military statement explained.
The hostages will undergo a review of their medical condition and will later be transferred so that they can be reunited with their families in Israeli hospitals. “We will continue working together with the security agencies for the return of all the kidnapped people,” said the Army, which asks the population for “patience” and respect for the privacy of the families.
The spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Mayid al Ansari, had previously revealed that among the released Israelis there are three French citizens, two German citizens and six Argentine citizens.
Meanwhile, Hamas has published on Telegram the list of 33 Palestinian prisoners who will be released this Monday in exchange for the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. On the list there are three Palestinian women and 30 minors from Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron or Nablus. Al Ansari has subsequently confirmed these figures.
Different media had reported that six Thai hostages would be released along with the Israelis, but there has been no further official information on the matter from Israel, Hamas, Qatar, Egypt or the United States.
Meanwhile, the Government of Thailand has announced that Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, will travel to Israel on November 28. The official statement highlights that he will visit three Thais released in the previous days who remain hospitalized and that he will return to the country on November 30 along with all the freed Thai hostages.
The spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Mayid al Ansari, announced this Monday that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to extend the truce that began last Friday in the Palestinian enclave for another two days, until Wednesday.
These plans also contemplate the release of another ten hostages per day, while Israel would agree to hand over 30 Palestinian prisoners. The proportion of one hostage for every three prisoners that has marked the agreements between the parties from the beginning would therefore be maintained.
