Gaza/Tel Aviv, Nov. 29, (dpa/GNA) – Another 12 hostages held in Gaza – 10 Israelis and two foreign nationals – have been handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross as part of a truce agreement, the Israeli army said on Tuesday evening.
In return, another 30 Palestinian inmates are to be released from Israeli jails.
The group handed over to the Red Cross is the fifth group of hostages to have been released as part of the truce agreement negotiated between the Plaestinian Islamist Hamas movement and Israel last week.
Some 240 people had been abducted into the Gaza Strip amid the October 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel by Hamas and other groups.
The truce, which came into effect on Friday morning and was initially set to last four days, has been extended by another two days under the previously negotiated conditions. It is unclear whether it can be extended further.
The agreement provides for the possibility of extending the ceasefire in return for the release of a further 10 hostages per day.
In total, the deal foresees a maximum of 100 hostages to be swapped for up to 300 Palestinian inmates held in Israeli prisons over the course of 10 days.
GNA