Update
14 Israelis and three foreigners
Hamas hands over more hostages to Red Cross
November 26, 2023, 4:49 p.m
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According to the Israeli army, the Islamist Hamas is handing over a group of hostages for the third day in a row. The army said 14 Israelis and three foreigners were transferred to ICRC staff. This time, a woman with a Russian passport and a child with a US passport will also be released.
According to the Israeli army, the Islamist Hamas handed over another group of hostages to the Red Cross as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza war. The Israeli army said 14 Israelis and three foreigners were transferred to ICRC staff. A total of 26 Israeli hostages were released on Friday and Saturday, along with several Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen. Among the Israelis released on the previous days were several German dual nationals. In return, three Palestinian prisoners were to be released from Israeli custody on Sunday for every hostage released – similar to the previous days.
A Russian citizen is believed to be among the hostages now handed over. The Russian state agency TASS, citing a spokesman for the terrorist organization, reported in the afternoon that a hostage had been handed over to the Red Cross. “In response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hamas released a hostage who has Russian citizenship,” the agency quoted the spokesman as saying. According to the report, Hamas had a total of two Russian women in its control. The report does not say whether these are dual nationals or tourists.
As on previous days, there is still some uncertainty as to the composition of Israelis, dual nationals and foreigners among those released. Some media outlets cite Hamas sources reporting the release of 13 Israelis and four foreign hostages.
Dozens of hostages still held by Hamas
The USA had also expressed its hope that a hostage with US citizenship would be released for the first time. Before the handover, the Biden administration assumed that for the first time an American citizen could be among those released. “We have reason to believe that there will be a release today,” US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on US television. According to him, there are three hostages with US passports who fall into this category – two women and a small child. After the handover, US media, citing government officials, reported that a four-year-old girl had been released. In the terrorist attack on October 7th, both of the child’s parents were killed by Hamas terrorists.
In total, there are still dozens of hostages in the hands of Hamas. The currently ongoing break in fighting is expected to last at least until Tuesday morning. According to the agreement between Israel and Hamas, a total of 50 Israeli hostages will initially be released during this time. In addition, several purely foreign citizens, among others, had already been released.
An extension of the ceasefire to up to ten days and further releases should be possible, as the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, which is mediating in the conflict, announced.
The latest Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which terrorists from the Gaza Strip committed in Israel near the border on October 7th. More than 1,200 people were killed. Around 240 hostages were taken to Gaza, including several Germans.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes, a blockade of the Gaza Strip and began a ground offensive in late October. According to the Islamist Hamas, almost 15,000 people were killed. More than 36,000 were injured. The numbers cannot currently be independently verified.