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.

Click here for updates from previous days.


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.


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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."

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


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."

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


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.

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

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


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


Hamas delays release of hostages over alleged 'violations' of cease-fire agreement

Hamas announced that it will be delaying the release of Israeli hostages, accusing Israel of violating the cease-fire agreement regarding aid trucks and the agreed-upon terms for the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

The Al-Qassam Brigades -- the armed wing of Hamas -- said it had decided to delay Saturday's scheduled second round of hostage releases until Israel committed to allowing aid trucks to enter northern Gaza. Hamas was expected to release 13 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of 39 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel on Saturday, sources told ABC News.

"The Al-Qassam Brigades decides to delay the release of the second batch of hostages until the occupation adheres to the terms of the agreement regarding the entry of relief trucks into the northern Gaza Strip, and due to its failure to adhere to the agreed-upon criteria for releasing prisoners," Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

Hamas leader Osama Hamdan, who is based in Lebanon, said relief trucks that arrived in northern Gaza today were half of the number that was agreed upon.

"There are violations committed by the Israelis in implementing the terms of the truce, some of which occurred yesterday and were repeated today," Hamdan said Saturday, adding that another issue at stake was the reported shooting of two Palestinians on Friday as they tried to reach northern Gaza.

A senior Israeli political source told ABC News that Israel did not violate the agreement. The IDF said about 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid are expected to enter Gaza today, after 200 trucks with aid entered Gaza yesterday via the Rafah crossing and delivered their cargo to international aid organizations.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 61 trucks carrying food, water and medical supplies headed to northern Gaza on Saturday, the largest aid convoy to reach the area since the start of the war.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy, Nasser Atta, Jordana Miller