Release of Israeli hostages, including 20 captives, started 

The process of releasing Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip began a short while ago, as the International Committee of the Red Cross announced the start of the release of the first group of hostages.

The Red Cross has received seven Israeli hostages, while the remaining captives are expected to be handed over in the next few hours.

The Israeli army stated that additional hostages will be released later.

This announcement came after Hamas published a list of twenty hostages it said it would release, along with more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners that Israel is expected to free as part of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

Earlier, Israeli media reported that the release operation of hostages held in Gaza would begin at 8:00 a.m. local time through the Netzarim corridor and continue until 10:00 a.m. in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

In the early hours of the morning, vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross moved toward an agreed-upon point in northern Gaza to receive several hostages that Hamas was expected to release, according to a statement by the Israeli army.

In a brief statement, the army said: “The Red Cross is on its way to a meeting point in northern Gaza, where several hostages will be handed over to its custody,” adding that it “is prepared to receive additional hostages expected to be transferred to the Red Cross later.”

A-H 

ANHA