The first batch of hostages were freed Friday as part of the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas to release some of the nearly 240 civilians abducted during the Oct 7 terrorist attack.
Thirteen Israeli women and children who have been held in captivity for nearly seven weeks were transferred to the Red Cross in Gaza and were en route to the border crossing with Egypt, Israeli media reported.
Qatar Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed that 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino citizen being held in Gaza were also freed.
The Thai hostages had passed through the Rafah crossing and were on their way to Israel’s Hatzerim air base where they’ll be escorted to a hospital, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier reports had said that 13 Israelis and 12 Thai nationals would be among the freed hostages.
Footage showed Israeli hostages and humanitarian workers in ambulances being driven through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing in Red Cross vehicles, including one woman who could be seen waving.
A group at Rafah Crossing, which included two elderly women and a young girl, could then be seen being boarded onto a bus.
Danielle Alony, 44, and her 5-year-old daughter, Amelia, were among the hostages released on Friday, according to their cousin, Liam Zeitchik.
“Daniele and Amelia were released. No words, just thankful,” the Brooklyn resident wrote on Instagram.
Two elderly women, Adina Moshe and Margalit Mozesrly, were also freed, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The Family Headquarters for the Hostages and Missing also confirmed the release of 72-year-old Moshe, who was abducted after her husband Said Moshe was killed by Hamas at her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
“Now [that] she is back in the arms of her children and grandchildren, she will be able to continue raising some of her grandchildren who live in the kibbutz,” the statement said.
The Red Cross confirmed its teams had started carrying out the multi-day operation to facilitate the release of hostages.
“Now [that] she is back in the arms of her children and grandchildren, she will be able to continue raising some of her grandchildren who live in the kibbutz,” the statement said.
“The deep pain that family members separated from their loved ones feel is indescribable. We are relieved that some will be reunited after long agony,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the Red Cross’s regional director for the Near and Middle East.
In all, 50 captives are expected to be freed after Hamas agreed to release dozens of women and children throughout the four-day cease-fire, which went into effect at 7 a.m. local time Friday — 12 a.m. EST.
In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed during the ceasefire, though Israel has agreed to extend the “humanitarian pause” for one more day for every 10 additional hostages released.
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None of the estimated 10 American citizens who are being held by Hamas are expected to be freed on Friday, a senior White House official told NBC News.
“We do not expect Americans to be among the first group released today but remain hopeful that there will be Americans among the 50 released,” the official said.
The fresh release of hostages comes weeks after Americans Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, were freed. Two Israeli women, Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, and Nurit Yitzhak, 79, followed behind.