Thailand says 12 hostages freed in Gaza; Israeli media report other hostages being handed over

GAZA/ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER: Thailand said on Friday 12 of its nationals from among hostages captured by Hamas in Israel had been set free and Israeli media reported that a group of women and children were being handed over to the Red Cross, the first hostages to go free under a temporary truce.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said in a social media post that the 12 Thais had been released from captivity in Gaza. There was no further information immediately available about the Thai prisoners, whose release had not previously been announced as one of the terms of an agreed prisoner swap accompanying the first truce of the seven-week-old war.

Israeli media reported that the first group of hostages due to be released under the truce deal had been handed to the Red Cross and to an Egyptian security team. Reuters could not immediately confirm this.

Under the terms of the four-day truce, 13 women and children - out of around 240 hostages captured by Hamas fighters on a killing spree in southern Israel on Oct. 7 - were expected to comprise the first group to be released.

They had been due to be freed with the aid of the Red Cross and an Egyptian security team at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), nine hours after the start of the ceasefire, and to be flown home under military guard.

In exchange, Israel was due to release the first 39 Palestinians from its jails on Friday, among them 24 women and 15 teenagers.

A total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed over the four-day truce, though Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continues to release hostages at a rate of at least 10 per day. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.