Washington D.C. – Washington Post, January 30, 2025
Hamas freed eight hostages — three Israelis and five Thai nationals — Thursday as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, the Israeli military said.
In exchange, Israel freed 110 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The release of the Palestinians had been delayed “until the safe exit of our hostages in the next phases is assured,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, referring to chaotic scenes in Gaza surrounding the hostage release Thursday, when a crush of civilians crowded around the hostages as fighters attempted to hand them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“Israel demands that the [ceasefire] mediators see to this,” the prime minister’s statement said.
On Thursday morning, Hamas released 20-year-old Agam Berger, a soldier seized by Palestinian militants during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to statements from the Israeli military and Netanyahu’s office. Later Thursday, an Israeli military statement said that seven hostages, including an Israeli man and a woman and five foreign nationals, were transferred to the Red Cross.
