Eight hostages, including five Thai nationals and two Israelis, were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza as part of the agreed-upon hostage release, the Israeli military confirmed. Earlier, Israeli media had reported on the hostage handover.
In a separate development, an Israeli soldier, Agam Berger, was released in the northern Gaza Strip in the morning. The handover took place in Dschabalija, in the northern Gaza Strip and was broadcast live on television, showing the 20-year-old woman being handed over to the Red Cross by armed individuals on a stage.
Israel, meanwhile, delayed the expected release of Palestinian prisoners, which was expected to take place on Thursday as part of the step-by-step agreement that brought an end to the fighting in the devastated coastal strip at the beginning of the month. An Israeli official involved in the operation said that the buses carrying the prisoners were instructed to return to the prisons, which appeared to be a reaction to the chaotic handover.
In the coming weeks, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, over 1,000 additional Palestinian prisoners and a dozen more Israeli prisoners are expected to be released. Negotiations for the second phase are set to begin 16 days after the start of the first phase.