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, 11:28 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.
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, 11:28 AM EST
1st group of Israeli hostages released by Hamas reach Egyptian soil
The first group of Israeli hostages released by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are now on Egyptian soil and in the custody of Israeli security services, two sources in the Israeli prime minister's office with direct knowledge of the operation told ABC News on Friday evening.
Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, also confirmed with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is facilitating the release and transfer of hostages, that they have crossed into Egypt from Gaza.
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Will Gretsky, Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor
Nov 24, 2023, 11:18 AM EST
12 Thai hostages released by Hamas enter Israel
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday that 12 of its nationals who were held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip have entered Israel.
The 12 Thai hostages crossed into Egypt from Gaza via the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing before being taken to Israel, according to the Thai foreign ministry.
"They are being transported to the processing point at Hatzerim Air Force Base," the ministry said in a statement. "At this time, the gender and names of these Thais are not known."
Israeli security forces stand next to buses waiting at the helipad of Tel Aviv's Schneider medical center on Nov. 24, 2023.
Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images
The Thai nationals will be transferred to Shamir Medical Center southeast of Tel Aviv, where they will be met by Thai embassy officials
"They are required to be under medical supervision for a period of 48 hours, without access to outsiders," the ministry said, adding that it "will do all possible to expedite their return to Thailand."
-ABC News' Will Gretsky and Morgan Winsor
Nov 24, 2023, 11:03 AM EST
Red Cross confirms start of prisoner exchange between Hamas, Israel
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Friday that its teams have begun "carrying out a multi-day operation to facilitate the release and transfer of hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinian detainees to the West Bank."
The operation, which is taking place during a four-day cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, will also "include the delivery of additional, much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza," according to the ICRC.
"In its role as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC over several days will transfer hostages held in Gaza to Israeli authorities and ultimately their families, and transfer Palestinian detainees to authorities in the West Bank, to be reunited with their families," the organization said in a statement. "The ICRC will also bring in additional medical supplies to be delivered to hospitals in Gaza, reinforcing the aid deliveries the ICRC has already carried out."
People react as they hear the news of the release of 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 24, 2023.
Ariel Schalit/AP
The ICRC urged both sides in the war to treat all hostages and detainees "with humanity" and to respect "humanitarian principles ... at all times, including during the releases and transfers."
"The parties to the conflict agreed to the details of the operation, including who would be released and when," the organization added. "The ICRC was not involved in the negotiations, and its role is to help facilitate the agreement as a neutral intermediary."
-ABC News' Will Gretsky and Morgan Winsor
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.
