Said Amouri
26 November 2023•Update: 27 November 2023
JERUSALEM
The Israeli army announced on Sunday that its forces received the third group of hostages released by Hamas from the Red Cross.
“The convoy of returning hostages is en route to Israel,” said the Israeli army.
It pointed out that “12 of them are now near the Gaza Strip's central border fence, while four have traveled through the Rafah crossing to Egypt and then to Israel.”
The statement also highlighted that one of the freed female hostages is being transported to Israel by helicopter for immediate transfer to the hospital.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli army said the Red Cross had taken custody of 17 hostages previously held in Gaza, comprising 14 Israelis and three foreigners, as part of the third set of release under a hostage swap deal with Hamas.
Israel and Hamas have swapped 41 Israelis and foreigners for 78 Palestinians from Israeli jails in two batches of prisoner swaps carried out in the first two days of a four-day humanitarian pause.
Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.
Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
