New Delhi: Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced that Hamas has already released twelve Thai hostages. He added that embassy officials are en route to receive the freed hostages.
“It has been confirmed by the Security Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 12 Thai hostages have already been released. Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in another hour. Their names and details should be known soon,” Mr Thavisin said.
As part of a temporary ceasefire in Gaza today, Hamas was initially set to transfer a group of 13 Israeli hostages to neighboring Egypt in exchange for 39 Palestinians in Israeli jails. With the release of the 12 Thai nationals, a total of 25 individuals will be freed from captivity after almost two months.
With just minutes to the 4 pm-prisoner swap, Thailand announced that 12 of its citizens are also being released in addition to the 13 Israelis.
According to reports, hostages have been handed over to the Red Cross and are on their way to the Rafah border – Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Some Israeli hostages have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross for return to Israel, news agency AFP reported quoting two sources close to Hamas.
“Half an hour ago, the prisoners were handed to the Red Cross who will take them to the Egyptians and the Israelis who are due to receive them,” one of the sources said, the AFP report said. The other source confirmed the handover.