Israel-Hamas war: Identities of 11 recently-released Israeli hostages revealed
Hamas and other militants could still be holding up to 175 hostages, enough to potentially extend the cease-fire for two and a half weeks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The identities of 11 additional hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 and returned Monday have been released.
The Israeli military said Monday evening that 11 hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were on their way to Israeli territory, marking the start of the fourth swap under the original truce.
IDF special forces and ISA forces accompanied the hostages into Israeli territory. The freed hostages are expected to undergo an initial medical assessment of their health, and the forces will accompany them until they are reunited with their families.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The latest release comes as Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday, according to the Qatari government, which was involved in truce negotiations.
So far, Hamas has released 58 hostages, including 39 Israelis, during the current truce, while Israel has released 117 Palestinian prisoners.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Per Qatar, those released from Israeli prisons include 30 minors and three women, while the Israelis released from Gaza include three with French citizenship, two with German citizenship, and six from Argentina who were handed over to the Red Cross.
Monday’s hostages released have been identified as Or Yaakov, 16; Yagil Yaakov, 12; Eitan Yahalomi, 12; Sahar Kalderon, 16; Erez Kalderon, 12; Karina Engel-Bart, 51; Mika Engel, 18; Yuval Engel, 11; Emma Cunio, 3; Yuli Cunio, 3; and Sharon Alony Cunio, 34.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. After the announcement by Qatar — a key mediator in the conflict, along with the United States and Egypt — Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a two-day extension "under the same terms."
But Israel says it remains committed to crushing Hamas' military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza after its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza to the south, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have crammed into United Nations shelters, and where dire conditions persist despite the increased delivery of aid under the truce.
International Red Cross vehicles reportedly carrying Israeli hostages released by Hamas cross the Rafah border point in Gaza on the way to Egypt from which they would be flown to Israel to be reunited with their families, on Nov. 24, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel will resume its operations with "full force" as soon as the current deal expires if Hamas does not agree to further hostage releases, government spokesperson Eylon Levy told reporters on Monday. Israel has said that, in addition to dismantling Hamas, freeing the rest of the captives is a top priority.
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Hamas and other militants could still be holding up to 175 hostages, enough to potentially extend the cease-fire for two and a half weeks. But those include a number of soldiers, and Hamas is likely to make much greater demands for their release.
Fox News Digital’s Dana Karni and The Associated Press contributed to this report.