Seventeen captives, including 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals, were released by Hamas on 25 November in exchange for 39 Palestinian captives held in Israeli prisons. The exchange, which took place late on the second day of the four-day truce, was delayed for hours after Hamas accused Israel of violating the hostage swap. Egypt and Qatar, the two meditators, resolved the issue which underscored the fragility of the truce. The Israeli captives — which included seven children and six women — were handed over to Egypt and then transferred to Israel. “Representatives from the ICRC just transferred 17 hostages via Egypt, including 13 Israeli and 4 Thai hostages, to ISA and IDF Special Forces, as they make their way to Israeli hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families,” the Israeli military said in a statement on 26 November. Thirty-nine Palestinian captives, including six women and 33 children, were released from the Israeli military prison Ofer in the occupied West Bank and from the Russian Compound prison in Jerusalem, Palestinian state-run news agency WAFA reported. On 22 November, Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 300 Palestinian women…
Second Hostage Swap Between Hamas and Israel: 39 Palestinians and 13 Israelis Released
November 26, 2023
