Prisoners, hostages exchanged during truce between Israel and Hamas

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that  13 Israeli hostages were freed hours after a four-day cease-fire began. Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners in return, some of whom had been convicted of attempted murder for attacks against Israeli forces. A dozen Thai nationals were separately released by Hamas, Egyptian officials said. A truce between Israel and Hamas began Friday with a cease-fire. The deal, which Qatar helped broker, was planned to include the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. 

How long will the truce last? The cease-fire is scheduled to last for four days, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he plans to press on with the war as soon as the truce ends. During the cease-fire period, Hamas has pledged to release at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages it took on the initial attacks of Oct. 7. In return, Israel would free three of its Palestinian prisoners for every hostage released by Hamas. Americans are not expected to be among the first group of hostages released.

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher and Mary Reichard’s discussion with reporter Seth Frantzman on The World and Everything in It podcast about Israel’s war in Gaza.