Hamas Releases 24 Hostages in Exchange for 39 Palestinian Prisoners

Gaza – Palestinian armed group Hamas has released 24 hostages held in Gaza for nearly seven weeks and Israel has freed 39 Palestinian prisoners, hours after the Qatar-mediated Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect on Friday. 

Among the released captives are 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino national, Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said on Friday.

"We are relieved to confirm the safe release of 24 captives," the ICRC wrote on social media X. 

The release of the 24 captives – out of around 240 people taken hostage by Hamas in an attack in southern Israel on October 7 – came after a deal between Israel and Hamas, which included a four-day ceasefire and a prisoner swap with Palestinians held in Israeli jails came into effect. Israeli prisons began operating.

The Israeli captives have returned to Israeli territory where they will undergo medical examinations before being reunited with their families, the military said.

They include four children and six elderly women, according to a list released by the Israeli prime minister's office.

"Our citizens underwent preliminary medical examinations and their families were informed by designated officials that they had returned," it said in a statement.

In a videotape, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his government was committed to returning all remaining captives.

Qatar said that 39 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails had been released as part of the deal. Israel confirmed that 39 prisoners had been released.

Qadura Fares, chairman of the NGO Palestinian Prisoners Club, said 33 prisoners released in the West Bank were handed over to a team from the ICRC. He said six others were released from Jerusalem prisons.
 
According to the deal mediated by Qatar, Hamas will release 50 women and children, out of about 240 people taken captive by the group during its attack on southern Israel on October 7.

In return, Israel will release 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails, who have long been considered by Palestinians as victims of the Israeli occupation that imprisons them without trial.

The prisoners arrested by Hamas on October 7 include Israeli soldiers and civilians, as well as people from dozens of foreign countries. Both in Israel and abroad, the prisoners' families have pleaded for their release.

Qatar's Al-Ansari said that 10 Thai nationals and a Filipino national were released outside the framework of the ceasefire agreement.

Earlier on Friday, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that 12 Thai nationals who helped in Gaza had been released.

"It has been confirmed by the security forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 12 Thai hostages have been released," Thavisin wrote on X.

According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, around 30,000 Thais work in Israel, mainly in the country's agricultural sector. The Hamas attack on October 7 killed at least 32 Thai workers.