24 hostages from the Islamist group were released on Friday, according to Qatar

A total of 24 hostages, 13 Israelis, ten Thais and one Filipino, were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza by Hamas on Friday, November 24, while Israel released 39 women and children. detained in its prisons, according to the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

“Among those released are 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom have dual nationality, as well as 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen”said ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari on X.

A truce that could be prolonged

He added that “39 women and children detained in Israeli prisons” had also been released as part of an agreement to exchange hostages captured by the Islamist movement Hamas on October 7 for Palestinian prisoners.

Qatar has led weeks of intense negotiations, in coordination with the United States and Egypt, to reach an agreement for a four-day truce in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, access to humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well as the release of 50 civilian hostages from Gaza in exchange for that of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

Qatar said the initial four-day truce was intended to be extended if further exchanges of hostages and prisoners could be secured. The deadly war between Israel and Hamas was sparked by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil on October 7.