In the latest development in the ongoing hostage crisis, two more captives were released by the Hamas on Saturday, bringing the total number of freed hostages to four. The two men, who were among the 10 hostages taken by the terrorist organization on October 7, were initially paraded on a stage by masked and armed fighters before being handed over to the International Red Cross. A further man is expected to be released later in the day, as part of the hostage exchange agreement. In return, Israel will release over 180 Palestinian prisoners.
This is the second batch of hostages to be freed, after eight Hamas captives were released on Thursday, including two German-Israelis, an Israeli soldier and five Thai workers abducted from Israel. The ceasefire agreement between the Israeli government and the Hamas, which is in its initial six-week phase, foresees the release of a total of 33 hostages. Eight of the hostages, according to Israeli reports, have been confirmed dead and the focus now is on the repatriation of their remains. In exchange, nearly 2,000 Palestinians are expected to be released from Israeli custody.