As previously announced, after a delay of several hours, the fourth round of the hostage deal started this evening when 11 Israeli hostages were transferred from 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. Now the IDF spokesman confirms the words: "According to the information provided by the Red Cross, 11 Israeli abductees are on their way to Israeli territory."
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.
It was later reported that 6 more Thai citizens were also released along with the Israeli abductees. These join the 10 Thais who were released in the first round last Friday. 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.
