Hostage Release
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Twenty-five hostages held in Gaza, including 12 Thai nationals and 13 other women and children, were released from captivity on Friday, the Egyptian government said, the first people to be freed under a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that took effect hours earlier.
The hostages were transferred to Egypt as part of a prisoner exchange that was set to see 39 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released from Israeli custody on the first day of a four-day truce, which could be the longest pause in fighting in the seven-week war between Israel and Hamas.
All the released hostages were expected to be swiftly moved to Israel to receive urgent medical care.
I don’t think this is a sign of an appetite for a broader cease fire quite yet. However, I do think that holding hostages in such numbers is an organizational dilemma for Hamas, creating tactical and communications liabilities that Israel may be able to exploit, and that as such Hamas will probably be willing to conduct additional exchanges in the future.