Thirteen Israeli hostages have reportedly been handed over to the Red Cross and have arrived in Egypt, as CNN reported. It is not clear, however, where the handover occurred. Meanwhile, 12 hostages from Thailand were also set free after 49 days of captivity by Hamas.
The release of the hostages, following the ceasefire which took hold on Friday, raises hopes that the two sides could reach an agreement for a more concrete deal to end the bloodshed in the Gaza enclave.
The Islamist terrorist group launched a surprise attack against Israel on October 7th, crossing the fences in a planned military operation and massacred scores of innocent civilians.
Israel responded by unleashing a barrage of bombs on Gaza, followed by a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military’s response drew harsh criticism, as many pundits said it used disproportionate force.
