[DM] The first group of hostages have been released from Gaza after 48 days of captivity as part of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas that went into effect this morning - with children and a grandmother thought to have died in captivity among them.
Thirteen Israeli women and children and 11 Thai and Filipino hostages, who were kidnapped and taken into the territory by the terror group in its October 7 attack on Israel, were finally freed today after an agonising wait.
Israeli media reported the hostages had been transferred by Hamas to the Red Cross, then on to the Egyptians, before crossing into Egypt. Live footage showed the hostages leaving Red Cross vans and entering a trauma centre at the Rafah Crossing to undergo medical examinations.
Qatar's foreign ministry said tonight that ten Thai prisoners, and one Filipino citizen have been released, alongside the 13 Israeli prisoners, who are now back in Israel and will soon be reunited with their families, the IDF confirmed.
Going the other way were 39 Palestinian prisoners - 24 women and 15 teenagers - who have been released by Israel as part of the deal that paused the fighting in the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven weeks which was sparked by Hamas's attack, Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed.
Israeli prison transport vans have been seen leaving the Ofer military prison near Jerusalem, with Palestinian prisoners believed to be onboard.
The lists of all civilians that would be released from Gaza has been agreed, but was not released publicly ahead of time. Some 30 children are currently believed to be among the 240 captives who were taken into Gaza by Hamas.
The full list was later revealed as Margalit Moses (72), Adina Moshe (72), Danielle Aloni (45) and her daughter Emilia (six), Doron Asher (34) and her daughters Raz (four) and Aviv (two), Hanna Katzir (77), Keren Munder (54) and her son Ohad Munder-Zichri (nine), Ruti/Ruthi Munder (78), Yafa/Yaffa Adar (85), and Hannah Perry/Chana Peri (79).
All of the hostages were taken from Nir Oz, a kibbutz less than two miles from the Israel-Gaza border, apart from Chana Peri - who was snatched from kibbutz Nirim.
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