Israel-Gaza updates: 17 more hostages released, including 4-year-old American girl, officials say
Fourteen Israeli and three foreign hostages were released Sunday, the IDF said.
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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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.
13 more hostages expected to be released Sunday: Egyptian officials
Egypt's State Information Service said another 13 hostages will be freed by the Hamas terror group Sunday after 51 days in captivity in Gaza.
Israel is expected to free 39 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails on Sunday as part of the negotiated agreement, Egyptian officials said.
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy
33 Palestinian detainees released to West Bank: ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it facilitated the release on Saturday of 33 Palestinian detainees from Israel to the West Bank.
A bus carrying the detainees arrived in Al Bireh in the West Bank early Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
More aid delivered to Gaza on 2nd day of pause: UN
On the second day of the humanitarian pause, 61 trucks of aid were delivered to northern Gaza on Saturday, the largest number since Oct. 7, according to the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The aid included food, water and emergency medical supplies, as well as 11 ambulances delivered to Al Shifa Hospital to help with evacuations, OCHA said.
Additionally, nearly 200 trucks and 129,000 liters of fuel crossed into Gaza on Saturday, it said.
"The longer the pause lasts, the more aid humanitarian agencies will be able to send in and across Gaza," OCHA said in a statement.
Hostages heading to hospitals to reunite with families: IDF
The hostages released on Saturday are en route to hospitals in Israel, where they will reunite with their families, the Israel Defense Forces said.
"The released hostages underwent an initial medical assessment, one civilian was transferred to a hospital an hour ago, and others are currently on their way to hospitals where they will reunite with their families," the IDF said in its latest statement.
"The IDF, Israeli security forces, and healthcare are ready to continue receiving additional hostages according to the agreement, alongside the IDF preparation to continue operating in the Gaza Strip," the statement continued.
4-year-old Abigail Idan among the hostages released Sunday: Israeli PM's office
Abigail Idan, a 4-year-old Israeli American, was among the 17 hostages released to the Red Cross on Sunday, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.
Abigail, who turned 4 on Friday, was taken hostage on Oct. 7 after her parents were killed by Hamas terrorists, according to Israeli officials.
Another Israeli American, Aviva Adrian Siegel, 62, was also freed on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister's office said.
"We were overjoyed. Couldn't believe it," Siegel's brother-in-law, David Siegel told ABC News, adding that the family had been doubtful she would be released.
The Israel Defense Forces said 13 hostages were returned to Israel accompanied by IDF forces and are now in Israeli territory, with 12 being escorted to the Hatzerim base and another having gone to a hospital. Four more hostages are on their way to the Rafah crossing, the IDF said.
Other Israeli hostages released on Sunday were identified by the Israeli prime minister's office as: