The hostages were handed over to Red Cross teams in two groups in the Gaza Strip.
In exchange for the released Israeli hostages, 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 sentenced to life, will be released under the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.
Phase one of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect at midday Friday. Israeli forces completed a gradual withdrawal to the so-called yellow line, triggering a 72-hour window for the exchange process.
A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.
