Israel releases 30 captives after Hamas frees 12 hostages in extended truce deal

Reuters :

Hamas freed 12 more hostages and Israel released 30 Palestinian captives on Tuesday, the fifth day of an extended six-day truce between the fighter Palestinian group and Israel in the Gaza war.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the 12 hostages had been transferred from Gaza, and Israel’s military confirmed that the 10 Israeli citizens and two foreign nationals were with its special forces on Israeli territory.

The hostages were among some 240 people seized by Hamas gunmen during a rampage into southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed.

Israel’s bombardment of Hamas-ruled Gaza in retaliation has killed more than 15,000 Gazans, health authorities there said.

Live video images broadcast by Al Jazeera television on Tuesday showed a bus with Palestinian prisoners leaving Israel’s Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.

Israel said it freed 30 Palestinian detainees from Ofer and a detention centre in Jerusalem. Earlier it said there would be 15 women and 15 teenage males, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club, a semi-official organisation.

Al Jazeera said the Palestinians had arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem.