Six more Israeli hostages have been released from Gaza, bringing the daily total to eight, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), after a last-minute truce extension was agreed for a seventh day.
Two hostages released on Thursday morning – identified as 21-year-old Mia Schem and 40-year-old Amit Soussana – arrived back in Israel on Thursday, the IDF said.
The Israeli military announced on Thursday evening that six more hostages have been handed over to the Red Cross.
In exchange, 30 more Palestinian prisoners are set to be released from Israeli prisons.
“According to the information provided by the Red Cross, six Israeli abductees were transferred to them and are on their way to Israel,” the IDF posted to social media.
The IDF later confirmed that the group of hostages had entered Israeli territory, accompanied by special forces troops.
This included Shani Goren, a 29-year-old educator and comedian from Kibbutz Nir Oz, who was taken from her home with her dog on 7 October by Hamas.
Sapir Cohen, also aged 29, was released after being kidnapped with her partner Alexander Trupanov, who is still held captive by Hamas, and his mother and grandmother who were both released yesterday.
Siblings Bilal Zyadna, 18, and Aisha Zyadna, 16, have also been freed after Hamas kidnapped them from the family dairy farm in Kibbutz Holit on 7 October. Their older brother Hamza, and father Yousef were also taken captive and are still believed to be in Gaza.
Another of the hostages freed tonight is Nili Margalit, a 41-year-old nurse who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Mexican national Ilana Gritzewsky, 30, was also released on Thursday night after being taken from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with her partner Matan Zanguaker who is still held captive by Hamas.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed the release of eight hostages held in Gaza, saying in a statement: “We’re glad to inform that eight people who were being held hostage in Gaza have just been released, with facilitation from the ICRC.
“Our teams have transferred them and handed them over to the Israeli authorities. “This is possible thanks to our neutral intermediary role.”
It comes as the ceasefire is due to expire on Friday but international mediators are working “by the hour” to extend it, according to the US.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a press conference from Tel Aviv on Thursday saying his immediate focus is on extending the ceasefire so more hostages could be released and more aid could get into Gaza.
However, he said that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “made clear” during a meeting that “Israel intends to resume its military operations against Hamas”.
He warned that mass loss of life and displacement in northern Gaza “cannot be repeated in the south”, and called on Israel to take “more effective steps” to protect civilians before fighting resumes.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military must be ready for “a quick transition into full combat at any point in time, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, at any moment”.
Speaking during a visit to the Israeli army headquarters on Thursday, he said that “immediately after we exhaust the ability to release hostages, we will return to combat all over the Gaza Strip”.
Announcing the release of two female hostages on Thursday morning, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “According to the information provided by the Red Cross, two Israeli abductees were transferred to them and are on their way to Israeli territory.”
He added: “In the coming hours, additional Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross.”
Ms Schem was taken hostage from the Supernova festival in southern Israel on 7 October when Hamas launched its cross-border attack.
Ms Schem, who also holds French nationality, was seen in a video released last month by Hamas, in which she says she was injured but that she was being looked after.
Ms Soussana, a lawyer from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was kidnapped while hiding in a shelter in her home, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel is expected to free some 30 Palestinian prisoners later on Thursday, Associated Press reported.
The truce was extended by another day, mediator Qatar announced on Thursday morning, just minutes before the ceasefire was set to expire.
Israel had agreed to extend the truce by one day for every 10 additional hostages freed.
The truce was initially due to expire on Tuesday morning, but received a 48-hour extension to allow for the release of more hostages, with the hopes of further extensions.
Sixteen hostages were released on Wednesday – 10 Israelis, four Thai citizens and two Russian-Israeli citizens – while Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Israel for his third visit to the Middle East since the war began, said the truce was “producing results”.
“It’s important, and we hope it can continue,” he said.
“We have seen over the last week the very positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with their families. And that should continue today.
“It’s also enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance to go to innocent civilians in Gaza who need it desperately.”
He also stressed the need for Israel to immediately hold Jewish settler extremists accountable for violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the State Department said.
The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, presented Mr Blinken with “a comprehensive file documenting Israeli occupation crime in Gaza, and the West Bank, including Jerusalem”, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Mediators pressed on with talks to extend the truce further to free more hostages and let humanitarian aid reach Gaza.
Shortly after the truce was extended on Thursday, two Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop during morning rush hour at the entrance to Jerusalem, killing at least three people.
Both attackers were “neutralised”, Israeli police said.
Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the site of the attack, saying it “proves again” that the government’s policy of arming civilians was right.
Hamas said the gunmen were its members, and its armed wing claimed responsibility for the attack in response “to the occupation’s crimes of killing children and women in Gaza”.
It comes after two Palestinian boys were shot and killed by Israeli forces in Jenin, in the north of the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian health ministry. They were identified as eight-year-old Adam Samer al-Ghoul and Basil Suleiman Abu al-Wafa, 15.
The Israeli army raided the Jenin refugee camp, causing widespread destruction and killing four Palestinians, including Adam and Basil.
Unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show Adam being hit but the footage did not show who fired the shot.
Asked to comment on the footage, the Israeli military said: “Earlier today, during IDF activity in the Jenin Camp, a number of suspects hurled explosive devices toward IDF soldiers. The soldiers responded with live fire toward the suspects and hits were identified.”
Two Palestinian men, Muhammad Jamal Zubaidi and Wissam Ziad Hanoun, were killed during the raid.
The Israeli army said Zubeidi was a senior Islamic Jihad operative who had been involved in extensive militant activity.
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