Israel-Gaza updates: More hostages released, including 4-year-old American girl

Fourteen Israeli and three foreign hostages were released Sunday, the IDF said.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: November 24, 2023, 10:25 AM EST

Thousands of people have died and thousands more have been injured since the militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and total siege of the neighboring Gaza Strip, leaving the region on the verge of all-out war.

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Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Mar 01, 2024, 6:03 AM EST

What we know about the conflict

The latest outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, has passed the four-month mark.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 30,228 people have been killed and 71,377 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There has also been a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli forces have killed at least 395 people in the territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ongoing war began after Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel from neighboring Gaza via land, sea and air. Scores of people were killed while more than 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, a 140-square-mile territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under a blockade imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt since Hamas came to power in 2007. Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters.

Nov 24, 2023, 9:44 AM EST

1st group of Israeli hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza, sources say

The first group of Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, two sources briefed on the matter told ABC News.

Israeli soldiers stand at a helicopter landing pad at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, Nov. 24, 2023.
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

The sources said the Red Cross has the hostages and that the "operation" to get them home has begun.

People wait for the arrival of a vehicle carrying hostages released as part of a deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, Nov. 24, 2023.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

It was expected that 13 Israeli hostages would be freed by Hamas near Gaza's border with Egypt on Friday in a prisoner exchange deal. But it was unclear exactly how many were handed over to the Red Cross.

-ABC News' Matt Gutman and Morgan Winsor

Nov 24, 2023, 9:36 AM EST

Thailand says 12 of its nationals were released in Gaza

Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced Friday that 12 Thai hostages have been released in the Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt and will be picked up by Thai embassy officials.

"It has been confirmed by the Security Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that there are 12 Thai hostages already released. Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in another hour. Their names and details should be known. Please stay tuned," Thavisin wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Egyptian authorities confirmed earlier that 12 Thai nationals held by Hamas in Gaza would be freed at the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing on Friday, in addition to 13 Israeli hostages.

There was no immediate confirmation from Israel on whether any of its nationals were released alongside the 12 Thai hostages.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

Nov 24, 2023, 9:16 AM EST

12 Thai nationals to be freed alongside 13 Israeli hostages on Friday, Egypt says

Twelve Thai nationals held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be released on Friday in addition to 13 Israeli hostages, according to Egypt's State Information Service.

The Israeli hostages will be freed by Hamas at the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and they will be received by Egyptian authorities before being transferred to Israel, the State Information Service said.

The State Information Service credited "intense Egyptian efforts" for resulting in the agreement with Hamas to release 12 Thai nationals on the sidelines of the prisoner exchange deal between Gaza's militant rulers and Israel.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy

Nov 24, 2023, 8:07 AM EST

Scores of Palestinians move north in Gaza despite Israel's warning

Scores of Palestinians who had fled to the southern Gaza Strip amid Israeli bombardment were seen trying to return to the north on Friday, following the start of a four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

This came despite a warning from the Israeli military not to head toward the main combat zone in northern Gaza and there are Israeli checkpoints in place to prevent people from doing so.

"The northern Gaza Strip area is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move around," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Friday morning. "For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south of the Strip. It is only possible to move from the north of the Strip to its south via Salah al-Din Road."

-ABC News' Nasser Atta, Morgan Winsor and Sami Zayara

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