Thirteen Israeli hostages, including four children and six elderly women, were released after enduring a harrowing 49-day captivity at the hands of Hamas in Gaza under a four-day truce brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The 13 were part of the first batch of hostages released on Friday.
Under the truce, 50 women and children under the age of 19 taken hostage by Hamas could be freed in exchange for 150 Palestinians currently in Israeli detention.
In a video released by Schneider Children's Medical Centre (SCMC), Ohad Munder, a nine-year-old child, can be seen running to his father before hugging him in a warm embrace. Ohad was freed along with his mother Keren Munder, 55, and grandmother Ruti Munder, 78.
"Thank you to all the people of Israel. It is very important for me to say that we are not celebrating today. We are happy but not celebrating as we have more hostages and we need to continue with our campaign. We will continue with our efforts till all the hostages are released," said Ohad's brother Roy Zichri Munder, thanking the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), as quoted by news agency PTI.
"Don't lose hope. They will soon return," he added
During the four-day ceasefire, 50 hostages, taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, are expected to be released in batches. In the second batch, 13 Israeli and four Thai nationals were released on Saturday.
The deal ran the risk of breaking down over a dispute over aid supplies. Hamas claimed only 65 of 340 aid trucks that had entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, which was "less than half of what Israel agreed on."
The Israeli military said that the distribution of aid inside the Gaza Strip was being carried out by the United Nations and other international organisations. The UN on Saturday confirmed that 61 trucks carrying food, water, and medical supplies have reached northern Gaza.
