Hostages who were abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas militants to the International Red Cross, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel amid a temporary truce, in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip, November 29, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
More hostages were freed from Gaza on Wednesday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as mediators raced to broker another extension to the truce between Israel and Hamas hours before it was due to expire.
Underscoring the urgency, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel for talks on aid for Gaza and the truce, which is scheduled to end early Thursday after a six-day halt in fighting.
But in a sign of the challenges facing negotiators, a Hamas source said the Palestinian militant group was not satisfied with Israel’s proposals for another extension.
Click here for November 29, 2023 updates on Israel Hamas truce deal
Israel’s war cabinet was meeting late Wednesday over terms to extend the truce, media reports said.
As discussions continued, 10 Israeli hostages arrived back in Israel, among them five women, three children and two 18-year-old men, the prime minister’s office said. Shortly after their arrival was confirmed, Israel’s prison service said 30 Palestinian prisoners had been released, including well-known activist Ahed Tamimi.
Six groups of hostages have now been released under the truce agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. Another four Thai hostages were also freed and arrived in Egypt Wednesday, along with two women, holding dual Russian and Israeli citizenship, outside the terms of the deal.
(With agency inputs)
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