Israelis, including 8 children, freedby Hamas after 50 days held

13 Israelis, including 8 children, freedby

Hamas after 50 days held hostage in
Gaza.

International News Desk

According to global Times news Agency Europe, Following an hours-long, nerve-racking delay that threatened to scupper the Israel-Hamas temporary truce agreement, 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for the past 50 days finally returned to Israel late Saturday after being abducted during the Palestinian terror group’s horrific onslaught in southern Israel on October 7, The Times of Israel said, The Global Times Europe informs. The released Israelis on Saturday were eight children, four mothers, and a young woman.
Another four Thai nationals were also freed as part of a separate deal negotiated by Egypt, also with the involvement of Qatar and Iran, after initial reports that seven were set to be freed. Among those released, many lost family members on October 7, and many have relatives still held hostage. Yahel Shoham, 3, was released without her father, who is still held. Hila Rotem, 13, was released without her mother Raya, also still a hostage. Emily Hand, 9, another of those freed, returned to her family who had initially been told she was killed on October 7. Some 195 hostages are still being held.The 13 freed Israeli hostages were part of the second group of hostages to be released by Hamas, following intense talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, as part of a four-day truce deal that would pause fighting in Gaza in exchange for freeing a total of about 50 Israeli hostages overall, in groups of roughly a dozen per day, by Monday.