Utku Simsek and Seda Sevencan
30 January 2025•Update: 30 January 2025
ISTANBUL
The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Thursday secured the release of five Thai hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
According to security sources, the operation was carried out under the direct orders of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been involved in diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Gaza.
The first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,000 since Oct. 7, 2023.
Ten Israeli captives have so far been released in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners since the deal came into force.
Some 110 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Thursday from Israeli prisons.
Under the first phase of the deal, 33 Israeli captives are set to be released in exchange for an estimated 1,700 to 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
