Hamas and Israel were expected to release more hostages and prisoners on Wednesday, the last day of a prolonged six-day truce in the Gaza Strip conflict, as attention focused on whether mediator Qatar could negotiate another extension.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas and allied group Islamic Jihad freed 12 hostages on Tuesday, bringing the total released since the truce began on Friday to 81. Those have been mostly Israeli women and children along with foreign citizens.
After they were handed over by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Israeli military said Tuesday's freed hostages, comprising 10 Israeli women and two Thai citizens, received initial medical checks. They then moved to Israeli hospitals where they were to meet their families. The hostages were age 17 to 84 and included a mother-daughter pair.