Hamas Frees Israelis, Foreigners in Second Round of Swaps

Hamas released 13 Israelis and four foreigners late Saturday in the second round of swaps under a cease-fire deal, the Israeli military said, after the militant group initially delayed the exchange for several hours and claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce deal. Shortly after midnight, the Israeli military said the released hostages, including four Thais, had been transferred to Israel. They were being taken to hospitals for observation and to be reunited with their families. Israel was to free 39 Palestinians later on Saturday as part of the deal that ultimately went through after international mediation efforts.

Israeli Hostages Released

The Israeli hostages released on Saturday by Hamas included seven children and six women, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office announced. Most of the released hostages were from Kibbutz Beeri, a community Hamas militants ravaged during their October 7 cross-border attack, a spokesperson for the kibbutz said. The children ranged in age from 3 to 16, and the women ranged from 18 to 67.

It was a bittersweet moment for the residents of Beeri. A kibbutz spokesperson said all the released hostages either had a family member killed in the October 7 rampage or had left a loved one in captivity in Gaza. The mother of one of the released hostages, 12-year-old Hila Rotem, remained in captivity, the spokesperson said. Another, Emily Hand, is a girl whose father believed her to be dead for weeks before finding out she was held as a hostage.

Obstacles Overcome

The last-minute delay had created a tense standoff on the second day of what's meant to be a four-day ceasefire. By nightfall, as the hostages should have emerged from Gaza, Hamas alleged that the aid deliveries permitted by Israel fell short of what was promised and that not enough of it was reaching northern Gaza -- the focus of Israel's ground offensive and main combat zone. Hamas also said not enough veteran prisoners were freed in the first swap on Friday.

This is putting the deal in danger, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said in Beirut. But Egypt, Qatar, and Hamas itself later said obstacles had been overcome, and Hamas listed six women and 33 teenage boys it said were expected to be released by the Israelis. Two women, Maysoun Jabali and Israa Jaabis, were imprisoned in 2015 after being convicted of carrying out attacks on Israelis. Jaabis suffered severe burns during the incident.

Optimism Amid Uncertainty

While uncertainty around some details of the exchange remained, there was some optimism, too, amid earlier scenes of joyous families reuniting on both sides. On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas released 24 of the roughly 240 hostages taken during its October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison. Those freed in Gaza were 13 Israelis, 10 Thais, and a Filipino. Overall, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners, during the four-day truce -- all women and minors. Israel has said the truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed -- something US President Joe Biden said he hoped would occur.