GAZA: Ten more Israelis and two foreigners held in Gaza freed on Tuesday and handed over to the Red Cross, after the extension of a truce between Israel and Hamas.
The officials issued no further details about the development but the Israeli military, citing information from the ICRC, said 12 hostages were on their way to Israeli territory.
ICRC has said that they have successfully transferred 12 hostages from the Gaza Strip.
In a statement on social media the ICRC said: We have been able to conduct this operation thanks to our impartial intermediary role.
Our teams have successfully facilitated the release and transfer of 12 hostages held in Gaza.
We have been able to carry out this operation thanks to our neutral intermediary role.
— ICRC in Israel & OT (@ICRC_ilot) November 28, 2023
Earlier, the fourth group of 33 Palestinian prisoners was released from Israeli jails under the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas.
Over all 150 prisoners were released by Israel during the initial, four-day pause in the fighting.
Meanwhile, Israel on Monday said that 11 more captives freed in the Gaza Strip had safely arrived back, hours after it was announced that a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will be extended by two more days.
The United States on Monday welcomed the extension of humanitarian pause by Israel and Hamas by an additional two days, hoping that it would continue for longer period.
The United Nations Secretary-General also hailed a two-day extension of truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza terming it as a glimpse of hope.
Earlier, the European Union’s foreign policy chief advocated for an extension of the truce, emphasizing the importance of making it long-lasting to facilitate progress towards a political solution in the region.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, urged for a stable form of truce to prevent a recurrence of what he referred to as the “cruel aggression” of the Israeli regime against Gaza. Kanaani expressed Iran’s expectation that the truce extension would completely halt the “crimes” committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.
The conflict in Gaza has taken a devastating toll, with over 15,000 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, reported dead due to the relentless air and ground attacks by Israel, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The Israeli air and ground strikes have also caused extensive damage to buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches. The dire situation in Gaza is compounded by an Israeli blockade, severing the region from essential supplies such as fuel, electricity, and water. Aid deliveries to Gaza have also reached to a minimum.
