3rd Hostage Exchange Begins on 3rd Day of Gaza Ceasefire
The third day in Gaza ceasefire marks the beginning of the third hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas. The exchange was initiated after the 4-day ceasefire agreement. In this phase, Hamas handed over 14 Israeli and 3 foreign hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross officials. In response, Israel has announced the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli army has stated that, according to information received from the Red Cross, 14 Israeli hostages and 3 foreign hostages have been transferred to the Red Cross. There is currently no information available regarding the nationalities of the released foreign hostages or whether the 17 hostages have reached the Rafah Border Gate to be taken to Egypt.
Hamas’s armed wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has noted that 13 Israeli, 3 Thai, and 1 Russian hostage with Israeli citizenship were handed over to the Red Cross. Israeli army’s new statement indicated that 13 of the 14 Israeli hostages released have reached Israeli territory, while 1 Israeli and 3 foreign hostages who were released are on their way to the Rafah Border Gate, accompanied by Red Cross Committee officials.
US President Joe Biden has expressed his intention to speak with Netanyahu and emphasized that his goal is to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire. He also mentioned that a 4-year-old American was released by Hamas and expects that more Americans will be released.
As part of the hostage exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, a total of 26 Israeli and 78 Palestinian hostages have been mutually released in the past two days. The ceasefire agreement went into effect on November 24, with a humanitarian pause in the conflicts. As per the agreement, 150 Palestinians in Israeli prisons are to be released in exchange for 50 Israeli prisoners held by Hamas. The situation is developing, and the world will continue to monitor the developments closely.
