Hamas and Israel exchange hostages, prisoners

According to The Times of Israel , 13 Israeli citizens (including some with dual nationality) along with 10 Thai citizens and 1 Filipino citizen were released by Hamas forces late on November 24 (local time), after 49 days of being held hostage in Gaza. At the same time, 39 Palestinian women and children were also released from prisons in Israel.

Chance of lasting ceasefire?

The exchange took place on the first day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas announced on November 22.

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Under the agreement, Hamas will release at least 50 hostages being held in Gaza and Israel will release about 150 Palestinians being held in prison in the country, within a four-day ceasefire.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said 24 hostages were handed over to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, accompanied by eight Red Cross staff, and were then flown to Israel for medical examination and reunification with their families, Reuters reported.

One of the hostages released on November 24 steps out of a car next to Hamas gunmen.

Commenting on this development, US President Joe Biden said the possibility of extending the ceasefire agreement was "real", and said that this was an important opportunity to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza. "This is just the beginning but so far everything has gone well," Reuters quoted him as saying at a press conference in Massachusetts (USA).

The Times of Israel revealed that Hamas released the Thai and Filipino hostages under a separate deal that the Egyptian government said it had brokered, and that Iran and Qatar may have also been involved. The Thai Foreign Ministry said on November 25 that four of the 10 Thais released on November 24 were not on the list of hostages confirmed by Israel, and that an estimated 20 Thais were still being held hostage in Gaza.

Israeli officials said the country planned to release 42 Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas would release 14 hostages on November 25, according to AFP.

A Palestinian woman reunites with her family in the West Bank after being released by Israel on November 24.

The largest relief convoy

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel will allow hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza, territory that Hamas has controlled since 2007. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said 196 trucks passed through the Rafah border crossing on November 24, making it the largest aid convoy to enter Gaza since Israel began its siege and bombardment of the territory on October 7.

"The convoy includes eight vehicles providing medical supplies and medicines, four vehicles carrying hospital beds while the remaining trucks carry food, drinking water and palliative support," the association announced on X (formerly Twitter) on November 25.

Gaza mother reunited with newborn baby after 45 days of separation

More than 14,800 Palestinian civilians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to Al Jazeera. The conflict has caused a severe humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave, with hundreds of thousands displaced and the fragile health system under increasing pressure.

The truce has brought a rare moment of calm to Gaza residents, but it has also been accompanied by a sense of uncertainty about the future after a brief period. The Israeli military said it was using the four-day truce to complete preparations for the next phase of its military campaign in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas' armed wing called it a "temporary truce" and called for "an escalation of confrontation... on all fronts of resistance", including the West Bank.

WHO worried about the fate of director of Gaza's largest hospital

The World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24 expressed concern about the fate of Mohammad Abu Salmiya, head of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, after he was arrested by Israeli forces, according to AFP.

The WHO said Abu Salmiya was arrested on November 22 along with five others while they were taking part in a UN patient evacuation mission. Two were later released, but the WHO had no information on the health status of the other four, including the director of Al Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli military spokesman said on November 25 that Abu Salmiya was being questioned. Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas established a command post in the tunnel system beneath Al Shifa Hospital, but Hamas has denied the accusation.

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