Israeli forces and Hamas held another round of prisoner exchanges Tuesday as both sides entered the fifth day of a cease-fire.
Ten Israeli hostages – including nine women and a 17-year-old girl – as well as two Thai nationals were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and transported back to Israeli territory, according to the military. Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners an hour later.
The names of Tuesday’s hostages are as follows: Ditza Heiman, 84; Tamar Metzger, 78; Ada Sagi, 75; Merav Tal, 53; Rimon Kirsht, 36; Ofelia Roitman, 77; Gabriela Leimberg, 59; Mia Leimberg, 17; Noralin Agojo Babadilla, 60; and Clara Marman; 62.
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The Thai citizens released were met by the Thai Foreign Minister upon their arrival at Shamir Hospital in Israel.
As of Tuesday, Hamas has released 61 Israelis and 20 foreign nationals, while Israel has freed 180 Palestinian prisoners. The original four-day ceasefire, which expired Monday, was extended for an additional two days.
An extended cease-fire would also allow more aid into Gaza, which has been battered by weeks of Israeli siege and bombardment and a ground offensive that has driven people from their homes. The territory is home to 2.3 million people.
Hamas militants stand by vehicles as hostages who were abducted during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas militants to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip on Monday. (Hamas Military Wing/Reuters)
Israel says it remains committed to crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending the group’s 16-year rule over Gaza. That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza into the south.
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Roughly 240 hostages were captured by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that ignited the war. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza. About 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
