Gaza hostages and prisoners released

A group of Israeli hostages was handed over to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening and taken to Israel, Israel’s military announced. A total of 12 hostages arrived in Israel from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening. According to the Times of Israel, Israel’s army said there were ten Israelis and two Thais. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, wrote on X that the group included nine women, a minor, an Austrian citizen, two Argentines, and a Filipino. The discrepancy in the figures may be due to some Israelis having dual citizenship.
     Israel’s prison authorities announced on Tuesday evening that 30 Palestinian prisoners had been released from Ofer prison. According to Israeli media, these were 15 women and 15 young people aged 18 or under. From Friday to Monday, Hamas has released a total of 50 Israeli hostages and 19 foreigners, mostly Thai workers. In return, Israel has released 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly teenagers and women, from Israeli prisons. /ritzau/