Hamas has released the first group of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip as part of a peace agreement, The Times of Israelreported on October 13, citing RBC.
Seven people were handed over to the Red Cross, including Alon Ohel, Matan Angrest, Eitan Mor, Gali and Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, and Guy Gilboa-Dallal.
They met with Israeli military personnel and headed to the initial reception point in Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, from where they will be taken to hospitals. Israel’s Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, stated that medical facilities are ready to receive the released hostages.
The military wing of Hamas said on its Telegram channel that it remains committed to the agreement and its timeline, provided that the Israeli side also adheres to it.
Israel, in turn, is preparing to release 1,966 Palestinian prisoners, who are already being seated on buses.
This is part of the first stage of the U.S.-devised plan for the Gaza Strip. Earlier, the Palestinian group published a list of 20 people it plans to release on October 13. The process will take place in two phases; according to Al Jazeera, the next one is expected to start at 10:00 a.m. local time (which coincides with Moscow time) in the southern Gaza Strip.
Live broadcasts of the hostages’ release are being shown at a square in Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands of people have gathered.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in the city soon to address the Knesset and then travel to Egypt to attend a peace summit on Gaza. The summit will also be attended by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
