Israel, Hamas exchange 5th round of hostages and Palestinian prisoners

Israel and Hamas have exchanged a fifth round of detainees, with 12 hostages and 30 Palestinian prisoners released Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Telegram that 10 Israeli hostages and two foreign nationals were released by Hamas and are now inside of Egypt.

The convoy carrying the hostages is making its way to a meeting point in Israel, where they will then be transferred to a medical facility by the IDF before going home to meet their families.

The Israeli hostages released Tuesday include a child and nine women, according to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. In exchange, Israel is releasing 15 Palestinian children and 15 Palestinian women from prisons.

Qatar also said an Austrian national, two Argentinian citizens and a Filipino national were freed by Hamas. It wasn’t immediately clear why there was a discrepancy between Qatar’s account and the IDF’s.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has transported both hostages and prisoners during the truce, said it has delivered 12 hostages from Gaza.

Hamas took some 240 hostages into Gaza when it attacked Israel in a brutal surprise attack on Oct. 7, but dozens of people detained by Hamas have since been freed over the past five days of the truce.

An extended truce, brokered Monday, to facilitate the release of more hostages and prisoners will end Thursday. But the U.S. said it is working to extend the cease-fire once again to bring more hostages home.

Tuesday saw the first signs of the truce breaking down, though it appears the incident will not be enough to break it.

The IDF on Tuesday accused Hamas of violating the truce, alleging that three explosives were detonated near troop locations in northern Gaza, while at least one fighter opened fire at Israeli forces.

Hamas accused Israel of violating the truce in a statement on Telegram but said it was committed to the truce.