The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received 13 Israeli civilians along with 10 other foreign nationals from Palestinian fighters in Gaza, as per the first footage released.
This group is set to be exchanged for 39 Palestinian women and children currently held in Israeli jails, with the exchange scheduled to take place later tonight.
Israel confirmed, on Friday, that Hamas handed over 13 Israeli hostages in Gaza to the Red Cross and were taken to the Egyptian side of the border.
The Israeli hostages will be transferred by helicopters from Egypt to Israel.
During the operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, will be at the Israeli Defense Forces Operations Branch control center at the Kirya in Tel Aviv.
The Prime Minister and the Defence Minister will closely monitor management of the operation to bring the Israelis who have been released from Hamas captivity back to the country.
Israeli army forces dispersed hundreds of Palestinians gathered in front of Ofer detention center, west of Ramallah in the central West Bank, using tear gas bombs and sound bombs.
Confrontations broke out with dozens of Palestinians who threw stones at the forces. Dozens of people suffered from suffocation. Since Friday afternoon, hundreds of Palestinians gathered in front of Ofer Prison, awaiting the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Some 13 Israelis are scheduled to be released Friday from Gaza through the Rafah crossing, with Israel releasing in parallel 39 Palestinians: 24 women and 15 children from Israeli prisons, as part of an exchange agreement with Hamas.
The prisoners will be released in batches over a period of 4 days – all of them will be women and children from both sides. Israel estimates that at least 239 Israelis are being held by Hamas following the cross-border attack by the Palestinian group on 7 October.
The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,854, the government media office in the blocked enclave said Thursday.
The victims include 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, while more than 36,000 people have been injured. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200, which is less than 10% of the Palestinian fatalities.
Middle East Monitor / ABC Flash Point News 2023.
Time for Israel to realize that peace brings more prosperity for its citizens.