Hamas has turned over 12 more hostages — 10 Israelis and two Thai citizens — to the Red Cross, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office, despite earlier competing claims of violations of the deal that brought their war to a temporary pause.
Red Cross representatives transferred the 12 freed hostages to Egypt, and they were later being flown by helicopter to Israeli hospitals, where their families awaited, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Earlier, the IDF said some of its soldiers were lightly wounded in three separate explosions and an ensuing shooting in the northern part of the besieged Gaza Strip. A Hamas official who is a spokesman for its military wing said without elaborating that “a field clash” took place after Israeli troops violated the terms of the cease-fire arrangement.
The militant group, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, pledged to adhere to the truce as long as Israel sticks to its end of the deal. Israel’s military didn’t report any fighting that would indicate a possible escalation.
The deal to pause the conflict has been extended by two days beyond its original expiration on Tuesday morning. Hamas, which released about 50 hostages as part of the original agreement, is expected to free another 20 over the next two days, in exchange for a continuation of releases of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.
Israel has received a list of hostages expected to be released by Hamas on Wednesday and is in the process of notifying their families, Axios reporter Barak Ravid wrote on the X social media platform, citing the prime minister’s office.
US officials are seeking to further extend the cease-fire and hostage releases. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel for the third time since Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, his office said, as he landed in Brussels for a NATO meeting.
Read More: Israel and Hamas Extend Truce and Blinken Heads Back to Mideast
Bill Burns, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, and the director of Israel’s Mossad were in Doha for a series of meetings initiated by Qatar to discuss the potential terms of an extended deal, a person briefed on the visit said, adding Egyptian officials are also attending. Axios had earlier reported the Burns visit.
Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said the US had airlifted more than 54,000 pounds of medical supplies and food to Egypt that would then be delivered to Gaza. This was the first of three planned shipments.
Despite disputes and delays, the truce has held for four exchanges of hostages through Monday of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Read More: Israel Hostages Recount Their Grim Imprisonment in Hamas Tunnels
An additional 18 hostages were released in separate agreements by Hamas with Thailand and Russia. Those freed by Hamas over the weekend included a four-year-old girl — a US-Israeli dual national — whose parents were killed in the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Israel has released 150 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from its jails. It expects Hamas to free another 10 hostages on Tuesday, in exchange for 30 Palestinians to be let go from Israeli prisons.
--With assistance from Jordan Fabian and Jon Herskovitz.
(Updates with report on list provided of hostages to be released in sixth paragraph.)
