The first group of hostages in the Gaza Strip have been released in accordance with the agreement between Israel and Hamas. According to Israeli media reports, the abductees crossed the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Friday afternoon and, according to the Israeli army, returned to Israel in the evening. The group consisted of 13 women and children who had been handed over by Hamas to Red Cross workers in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis. An Israeli delegation was supposed to receive them in Rafah and bring them to Israel. They will then be taken by helicopter to hospitals in Israel.
The 24 people released from the Gaza Strip are in “good condition,” according to the Israeli army. The 13 Israelis and 11 foreigners had undergone initial medical tests, military spokesman Daniel Hagari told Israeli media on Friday evening. Her life is not in danger.
According to a statement, 22 of those affected were initially taken to an air force base in the Negev Desert. They would then be taken to hospitals by Air Force helicopters. According to the information, they will also be reunited with their relatives there. Two Israeli citizens were taken directly to hospitals for reasons that were not initially stated.
In Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, hundreds of people gathered in the square in front of the art museum, which has become the headquarters of the relatives’ forum in recent weeks. Some family members had previously received news that they could report to the hospitals where the released hostages would be taken. According to Israeli media reports, twelve of the 13 people from the first group are residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Around 75 people were kidnapped from the Israeli town on October 7th, 13 of them children.
In addition to the 13 Israelis, there were also on Friday ten Thai hostages and a Phillipino released who were in the hands of Hamas. They are said to already be in Israel. Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin confirmed on Platform X on Friday that they had been released from Gaza, according to the Foreign Ministry. Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in the coming hours.
According to media reports, this is an independent agreement, brokered by Iran and Egypt, and is not part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas to release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The press reports cited an Arabic news portal based in London. There was talk of a total of 23 Thai hostages who were said to be covered by this release agreement.
In recent weeks, the government in Bangkok has tried various ways to obtain the release of the Thai hostages. The Thai foreign minister traveled to Egypt and Qatar to meet with Hamas representatives. A negotiator had held talks in Iran. The neighboring country of Malaysia, which is one of the supporters of the Palestinians and Hamas in Asia, also supported the Thai hostages. After the negotiations, the government expressed optimism that the hostages’ release was imminent. As the Prime Minister announced around two weeks ago, the only thing left to do was wait for a ceasefire during which the hostages could be safely brought out of Gaza.
Most workers on Israeli farms are Thai citizens. For this reason, the Far Eastern kingdom was particularly affected by the conflict. On October 7, Thais were among the foreign nationalities with the most casualties. According to the government, 34 Thais were killed and 19 injured. In view of the worsening conflict, Bangkok encouraged the Thai workers to return to their homeland, including through financial aid. Of around 30,000 Thai guest workers, more than 8,300 accepted the offer. As agricultural workers in Israel, however, they receive many times more than what they can earn in their homeland. That’s why many stayed.
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