Hamas Releases Second Group Of Hostages

Hamas released a second group of hostages late Saturday as part of a deal brokered by the Qatari government after initially holding up the release.

The hostages are all Israeli women and children, along with four hostages from Thailand held by the radical terrorist group after it carried out a deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Hamas delayed the release, which was supposed to take place earlier Saturday, claiming Israel was not abiding by the terms of the deal.

“The @ICRC reporting that the hostages have been released to them and underwent initial medical examinations,” Israel War Room posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Saturday.

“IDF Spokesman reports that according to the information provided to the IDF, 17 hostages were transferred at the Rafah border, including 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens,” the account said in a follow-up post.

Hamas released 25 hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack Friday, including 13 Israeli citizens, as part of a deal brokered by the Qatari government. Hamas demanded that Israel allow aid trucks to enter northern Gaza, leading to Saturday’s delay. according to Axios.