After a delay of several hours, it was reported in the Arab media that the fourth round of the hostage deal started this evening (Monday) when 11 Israeli hostages were transferred in the Gaza Strip to the Red Cross. Now they will make their way to the Rafah crossing, and from there they will be returned to Israel.
According to reports, the list of abductees released today includes nine children and two mothers. During the day, there were reports of disputes between Israel and Hamas regarding the list of abductees to be released, when according to estimates the original list included 2 elderly women instead of the mothers, who were separated from their children contrary to Israel's demand. However, in the end, an Israeli official confirmed that they managed to change the list and include the mothers along with the children.
Before the release: the ceasefire was extended by two days
The current round is the last of the original agreement approved by Israel and Hamas last week, under which 50 Israelis were released alongside 15 foreign citizens from Thailand, the Philippines and Russia. In return, Israel released 150 Palestinian terrorists from prison.
However, just before the release of the hostages, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that agreements had been reached to extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for two more days. According to the reports, the truce that was supposed to end today is expected to be extended until Wednesday - with at least 10 additional Israeli hostages being released on each of these days.
In return, Israel is expected to release 30 Palestinian terrorists in each of the rounds. In total, 20 Israeli abductees are expected to be released in the current extension, and if the move goes through, this will leave approximately 146 abductees in the captivity of Hamas.