Hamas releases 24 hostages

Qatar and the Red Cross announced that Hamas had released 24 people, marking the first group of hostages to be freed following a ceasefire between the group and Israel.

"We confirm that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received 24 citizens, including some women and children," Qatari Foreign Minister Majed Al Ansari announced on social network X on November 24. Qatar is the intermediary negotiating the ceasefire and the release of hostages.

Among the 24 people released by Hamas were 13 Israeli citizens, some with dual nationality, along with 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino, Mr. Al Ansari said.

The Red Cross branch in the area confirmed on the same day that it had received 24 hostages from Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They were taken to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Red Cross vehicles carrying hostages freed by Hamas leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt on November 24. Photo: Reuters

Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister announced that 13 of his country's citizens were released, matching the information given by Qatar. Among them were 4 children and 6 people over 70 years old.

However, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he had received information that 12 of his country's citizens had been released. This led media outlets to initially report that Hamas had released a total of 25 hostages, before revising the figure to 24 following the announcement by Qatar and the Red Cross, which was directly responsible for the hostage transfer.

It is not clear why there is a difference in information from the two sides.

A Red Cross convoy carrying hostages freed by Hamas leaves the Gaza Strip for Egypt on November 24. Photo: AFP

Israel and Thailand both said their citizens would be taken to Israel's Hatzerim air base and then monitored in hospital.

Also on November 24, the ICRC sent buses to Ofer prison in the West Bank to pick up 39 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under the ceasefire agreement, including 24 women and 15 minors. Hamas issued a statement calling on Palestinians to "welcome" them.

A woman is released from the Gaza Strip. Photo: Al Jazeera

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day ceasefire starting on November 24. Under the agreement, Hamas will release 50 hostages, while Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners and facilitate increased aid to Gaza residents. More hostage and prisoner releases are expected in the coming days. Hamas took about 240 hostages when it raided Israel on October 7, including about 25 Thais.

An official involved in the negotiations with Hamas said the Thai hostages were released under a separate agreement, not part of the ceasefire. The Thai men were not part of the Israel-Hamas deal, which involved only women and children. Their release came after Thailand’s foreign minister traveled to Qatar in late October to push for the hostage rescue effort.

After the Thai hostages were released, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement thanking the ICRC and several countries such as Qatar, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, and Israel.

The Thai Labor Ministry said about 30,000 Thai citizens worked in Israel, mainly in agriculture , before Hamas launched its attack on October 7.

Location of the Rafah border crossing on the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. Graphic: Data Wrapper

Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, Al Jazeera )

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