Israeli and Thai hostages in Gaza have been handed over to the Red Cross and are on their way to the border crossing with Egypt after the terrorist group Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire with Israel.

Hamas agreed to release 50 of 236 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinians being held in Israel as part of a prisoner-hostage exchange. Thirteen Israeli and 12 Thai hostages were released on Friday on the first day of the exchange. Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners on Friday afternoon, local time.

Hamas has released women and children but continues to hold fathers and husbands captive, leaving families separated. The released Palestinian prisoners consist of 24 women and 15 men between the ages of 14 and 18.

An Israeli official confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the 13 hostages were released at Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, and placed in custody with the Red Cross.

Ismail Haniyeh, a prominent official with Hamas, said in a statement that the terrorist group “reaffirms its commitment to the successful implementation of the agreement, provided that the enemy is also committed to its implementation.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said there would still be a “short pause” in fighting for the deal, but added that the IDF “will continue to operate with full military force against Hamas. We will not stop until we achieve our goals – the destruction of Hamas and the return of all the hostages”, according to the Jerusalem Post.

As an exchange took place between Israel and Hamas, 12 Thai nationals captured by the Islamic terrorist group were released at Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip, according to an Egyptian state information service. Godly Rashwan.

Thai Prime Minister Sritha Thavisin took to X on Friday to tweet that he had received confirmation that the 12 nationals had been successfully released.

On October 7, Hamas launched large-scale attacks against Southern Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people while taking 240 people hostage, including American citizens.

One of the areas hit by Hamas was the Tribe of New Festival in Re’im, Israel, in which more than 250 attendees were killed and dozens more were kidnapped by the terrorist organization.

Israel launched retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip against the terrorist organization, which, according to claims made by the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry, resulted in more than 10,000 civilian deaths.

Barbara Leaf, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this month that the death toll was likely “higher than” the estimate “cited.”

“In this period of conflict and war conditions, it is very difficult for any of us to estimate what the casualty rate is,” Leaf said, as quoted by The Hill “We think they’re very high, frankly, and it could be that they’re even higher than they’re being quoted.”

Leaf added that people “will only know after the guns go silent” and that she “can’t bet on one figure or the other, it’s very possible that they’re even higher than what’s being reported.”

Additionally, the IDF encouraged Palestinian civilians living in Northern Gaza to flee south to escape the violence, but Hamas did not allow many civilians to leave, creating a humanitarian crisis within the Hamas-controlled territory.

On Wednesday, it was announced that there would be a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which would include an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

As part of the deal, Hamas would release 50 of the estimated 236 hostages they had taken, while Israel would release 150 prisoners, most of whom were teenagers jailed for minor offenses.

In addition, Israel would allow hundreds of trucks filled with medical and humanitarian supplies to enter the Gaza Strip to help Palestinian civilians affected by the Israeli attacks.

“I welcome the commitment that Israel has made to support an extended ceasefire to ensure that this agreement can be fully implemented and to ensure that additional humanitarian assistance reaches civilians in Gaza,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. statement

“The flow of aid must be substantially increased and civilians must be protected. We also call on Hamas to release all remaining hostages.”