Israelis celebrated Friday as a ceasefire held and 13 Israeli hostages were released by Hamas. The nine women, most of them elderly, and four children were taken to hospitals in Israel for observation after they were released as part of a four-day ceasefire deal, the BBC reports. The Israeli military said they will be reunited with their families after an initial medical assessment. Military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said initial examinations showed the hostages "face no life-threatening medical emergencies" after 48 days in captivity. The AP reports that 10 Thai citizens whose release was negotiated separately were also freed Friday, along with a man from the Philippines.
In a Tel Aviv plaza now known as Hostages Square, a crowd of hundreds of people cheered when the release of hostages was confirmed, the Guardian reports. The freed Israelis include multiple members of some families. The youngest child to be released is two years old. Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, the CEO of Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, said she was "thrilled to be the one to receive four children, three mothers and one grandmother," the BBC reports. "Their physical condition is good and they are currently undergoing medical and emotional assessment," she said.
Under the ceasefire deal, 50 Israeli hostages will be freed by Hamas over four days and Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners. Hours after the Israelis were released, 24 Palestinian women and 15 teenagers were freed from prisons in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Times of Israel reports that Israeli authorities have received a list of another 13 hostages that Hamas plans to release Saturday, and it includes more children than the four freed on Friday. Israel has said it is willing to extend the ceasefire by a day for every 10 extra hostages released. President Biden said Friday that he believes "the chances are real" that the truce could be extended, reports Reuters. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)
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